Despite being 41 and in the last phase of his career, MS Dhoni's remarkable wicket-keeping skills were on full display during the Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on April 21st. Dhoni, the captain of CSK, took a brilliant catch behind the wickets to dismiss SRH skipper Aiden Markram from Mahesh Theekshana's delivery. Shortly after, he pulled off a lightning-fast stumping to end Mayank Agarwal's short stay at the crease from a Ravindra Jadeja delivery. Dhoni then displayed his incredible fielding skills by running out Washington Sundar on the last ball of the inning.
A video that has gone viral on social media shows Dhoni practising the run-out seconds before he executed it. The clip demonstrates Dhoni's exceptional game awareness as he anticipates such situations and removes one glove while shadow practising a throw before actually pulling it off and hitting the bull's eye.
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Gloves off for the last ball!! A warm up for the throw!! Thats how he plan and practise for those moments!! #Dhoni #CSKvsSRH #AnbuDen Thala Dhoni pic.twitter.com/EeIYCotcnq
— Jaighanesh (@jaighanesh) April 21, 2023
CSK became the third team to register eight points on the table with a seven-wicket victory with eight balls to spare, thanks to Devon Conway's unbeaten knock of 77 in just 57 balls. Ravindra Jadeja won the Man of the Match award for his spell that saw him take three wickets and concede just 22 runs.
After the game, Dhoni expressed his admiration for his wicket-keeping skills and jokingly expressed his frustration at not receiving the 'best catch award.' He also recalled a catch taken by Rahul Dravid. Dhoni's abilities with the gloves have been unmatched in the Indian Premier League, and despite his age and the notion of his last phase, he continues to be a valuable asset to the CSK team. The viral video clip also serves as a reminder of Dhoni's dedication and game awareness, which have been instrumental in his success as a wicketkeeper-batsman.
