IPL 2021: "It's a nice victory to have" - MS Dhoni reacts after CSK snatch last-ball victory against KKR
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni was all smiles after his side pulled off a thrilling last-ball win in Abu against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday.
It looked like Kolkata would continue their winning streak until the 18th over before Ravindra Jadeja (22 off 8) unleashed carnage in the penultimate over. He scored 22 runs from Prasidh Krishna's 19th over to bring down the equation to four runs in the final over.
That feeling 🥳🥳
#CSKvKKR #WhistlePodu #Yellove 💛 https://t.co/W3uPJv7Ozk
Sunil Narine bowled exceedingly well to take the game to the final ball. But Deepak Chahar held his nerve to guide Chennai to their third consecutive win in the second phase of IPL 2021.
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Speaking at the end of the match, MS Dhoni said:
"It's a nice victory to have. At times you play good cricket and you lose. It is enjoyable when you don't do so well and still win. It was good cricket from both sides, and a pleasure for the spectators."
Incidentally, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis once again got Chennai off to a flier, adding 74 runs in just 8.4 overs in pursuit of 172 runs. But the Knight Riders staged a brilliant comeback since then. They picked up wickets at regular intervals to take the game deep before going down on the final ball of the match.
MS Dhoni congratulated Eoin Morgan & Co for putting up a brave show to take the game till the final over.
"The way we started, KKR deserve some applause for making a game out of it," he added.
With this victory, Chennai have once again gone past the Delhi Capitals to occupy the top spot with 16 points and one inch closer to an IPL 2021 playoff spot.
"I felt 170 was a par score" - MS Dhoni
A last ball Thriller for the 7th time! What a win, what a day, what a game! 🥳
#CSKvKKR #WhistlePodu #Yellove 💛 https://t.co/S9gKQryhbD
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, the Kolkata Knight Riders managed to post 171 runs, riding on Dinesh Karthik's late impetus. He scored a quickfire 26 off 11 deliveries to take the Knight Riders to a challenging total.
MS Dhoni admitted he was unsure of the nature of Abu Dhabi's wicket and the ball was coming well into the bat when Ravindra Jadeja was bowling.
"170 was a par score, I felt. When Jadeja was bowling, it was coming on and not stopping. We were also worried about how the wicket will be. When you keep playing on a wicket, groundsmen sometimes water it more and leave some more grass," Ms Dhoni added.
Chennai Super Kings next play Sunrisers Hyderabad, who are at the bottom of the IPL 2021 points table, on Thursday.