IPL 2018, CSK vs DD: MS Dhoni's evocative innings is SK Turning Point of the match
After facing a minor blip against the Mumbai Indians last week, the Chennai Super Kings are back to winning ways after clinching a solid victory against the Delhi Daredevils at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Monday (April 30).
The hosts made four changes to their previous lineup, bringing in the likes of Faf du Plessis, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, and KM Asif into the mix.
They started off in a blistering manner, with Shane Watson and Du Plessis wreaking havoc at the top of the order. While the two foreign players lit up the beginning of the innings, it was the force from two Indians that finished it in style. Ambati Rayudu and MS Dhoni provided a thumping impetus to their team in the death overs.
Dhoni, in particular, was an absolute delight to watch. His ruthless shot-making on the day was evocative of the days with the long hair on his head and the powerful willow in his hand.
The CSK skipper's inning of 51 unbeaten runs off 22 deliveries was, most definitely, the SK Turning Point of the match. He came in to the middle when the Super Kings were in a very good position at 130/3 after 13.5 overs, and needed someone to provide them with a powerful, finishing touch.
Who else would fit this bill better than Dhoni?
The right-handed batsman walked onto the crease with an intention to belt the ball to all parts of the ground and in reality, did just that.
The former Indian skipper's fiery knock included some stupendous hits on both sides of the wicket. He has been having the time of his life in the tournament so far and he continues making waves with his bat, even in the last lap of his career. Against the Daredevils, he notched up his third fifty of the IPL season this year.
The extra runs that he hit, and ran, in the last three overs of the game proved to be crucial in the context of the game, considering the fact that eventually, DD lost the tie by just 13 runs.
Dhoni's inning powered CSK to a mighty total of 211/4 at the end of 20 overs. The inning was powerful, superlative, and dominant.
With twin fifties from Rishabh Pant and Vijay Shankar, Delhi fought valiantly to try and overtake the CSK total in the second innings of the game. However, the Men in Yellow, as they so often do, managed to keep their cool in a high-octane pressure situation and churned out the best possible outcome from it. An outcome, which was nothing but their sixth victory of the tournament.
They now sit pretty at the top of the table, followed by the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders filling the rest of the playoff spots. DD, on the other hand, are on the wrong side of the points table and despite making brave decisions before and during the tournament, have struggled to bring together the winning combination.
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