IPL 2014: Dhoni's impact on IPL or even cricket can't be matched

When IPL 7 started, everyone was going gaga over the explosive openers that Chennai Super Kings had bought. They expected Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum to explode and provide some scintillating performances but nobody expected them to provide the stability that Michael Hussey used to give Super Kings. Smith and McCullum have proved that opinion wrong. They have not only been explosive but have been able to fight it out and play safe when needed. Smith played another such inning against Rajasthan Royals by anchoring the chase. He has been the player of this season for CSK for me and has surpassed every expectation the fans had of him. With the ball, it was Ravindra Jadeja who played a crucial role. On flat track, Sir Jadeja can be ineffective but he becomes a different bowler when the ball is gripping. His spell not only halted Rajasthan Royals’ march, but he also broke their back by taking two important wickets. [caption id=“attachment_1523377” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Dhoni gave CSK fans plenty to smile about. BCCI[/caption] The man who stole the show though was Captain Cool himself. MS Dhoni didn’t finish things off for the first time nor is it likely to be the last time but still he surprises us every time he does it. Yet again he took the match to the last over and then finished it off with a six, a two and a three. This man has nerves of steel and the brain of a chess master. He goes by his calculations and backs himself to get even 14 to 15 runs in the last over. While others often crack under the pressure, Dhoni devours pressure. How else could you explain his nonchalant attitude and calmness even when the required run-rate went beyond 12-an-over. Sometimes it looks like he is playing mind games and giving the fans anxious moments by promoting Ashwin ahead of himself and making the target even tougher to chase. Then, he comes in and finishes the match without any fuss. It doesn’t matter what his team does till 15th over, he arrives on the pitch and takes control of the game. It instills a belief in the team that they can win from any situation CSK are lucky to have Dhoni in their team. Glenn Maxwell, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard will come and go but no one will have impact that Dhoni has on his team or on IPL or even on cricket. We Indians are lucky that world’s greatest finisher belongs to us.