IPL 2019, CSK VS DC: MS Dhoni’s healing touch makes Chennai Super Kings appear invincible again

Dark clouds were looming over Chennai with Cyclone Fani threatening to hit the city any moment. However, on this Wednesday afternoon, the city dwellers had bigger things in mind. It was CSK’s last home game of the league phase for this IPL season, and there was a chance that their beloved Thala could miss this one. CSK had received a drubbing at the hands of MI in their last game leaving the fans and the dressing room longing for the return of their father figure so that they can be one happy family again.

When Dhoni walked out for the toss at around 7.30 pm, Chepauk momentarily turned into the Colosseum. The crowd let out a huge roar to acknowledge their favourite gladiator and were eager to see their opponents, the formidable table toppers, look comically inept by the time their favourite theatre ends. Although the qualification race was already over for these two teams, there was still much to play for as both the sides were keen to top the table and earn some bragging rights.

At the toss, Dhoni nonchalantly shoved any concerns over his health. You are never at 100 percent when you play at this level for a long time remarked the skipper. He also made his first show of tactical superiority in the game at the toss itself. Shreyas won the toss and elected to field; he expected the dew to fall on the wicket later on. When Dhoni was asked, he reminded everyone that on a cloudy night there is less chance of dew. CSK were ahead in the mind game even before a ball was bowled.

CSK have been notoriously slow starters this season, but on the night they started as if they are still in deep slumber. In 4 overs, the score was 7 for 1, with Watson already back with a nine-ball duck. However, when Dhoni is there to hold them back when they fall, the CSK batting moves about with quiet confidence.

Suresh Raina has looked scratchy all season with his form, and the extra burden of captaincy was making things even harder for him this season. With Dhoni back, he came to the crease a relieved man. Delhi missed a trick by allowing him to start against left-arm spin and get away with a few boundaries. Some batsmen need to feel the bat on ball to get going early on, Raina needs to see the ball crossing the boundary line to get his adrenaline going. Delhi allowed him to do that without taking too many risks.

With Faf du Plessis looking in all sorts of trouble at the other end, Raina brought back some respectability to the total at the halfway mark taking the score to 53-1. They needed at least 100 more from here to give their bowlers something to bowl at. With the pitch playing slow, it seemed unlikely. With Dhoni still in the dressing room, it seemed almost predestined.

CSK chose the 13th over to start the assault. Faf hit Rutherford for a six then followed up with giving the same treatment to Axar Patel in the next over, and then eventually falling in his attempt to score another big hit. Raina chose Suchit at the other end and took him for 14 in 3 balls before skying one up to Dhawan in the deep. With five overs to go CSK were across the 100 run mark. 150 was looking likely from here, but with Dhoni in the middle, they could even aim at 160 or more.

The first one to go bonkers was Jadeja. Just like that tight game against Rajasthan, Dhoni’s presence at the other end, allowed Jadeja to bat freely and get a few boundaries away. When Jadeja departed, there were nine balls left in the innings with the score on 145. Dhoni had played a couple of pull shots for four, but hadn’t looked convincing so far. 160 was likely; maybe they can get 170 if they are lucky. DC had saved their best bowler, Trent Boult, for the last over.

The last ball of the 19th over was where it started to turn around. Any CSK tale isn’t complete this season if a no-ball doesn’t punctuate it. Chris Morris bowled a chest high full toss from round the wicket. Like AB de Villiers a few nights ago, Dhoni managed to stay strong even while taking evasive action and managed to send the ball sailing over the fine leg boundary for a six. Batsmen usually get animated or fidgety after getting a ball hurled straight at the face. With Dhoni, barely a muscle flinched on his face, he faced it like any other delivery meant to be put away at this stage of the game.

The Chennai skipper hit a boundary off the third ball in the last over but uncharacteristically ran a single off the fourth ball. Boult bowled the next delivery wide of Rayudu to keep it away from his range, but Dhoni was alert to the opportunity of stealing a bye with Pant slightly on his heels.

Boult now had two more deliveries to bowl in the final over against the legend of final-over assault. As so many bowlers have done before Boult, the pressure and fear of seeing the grim reaper called Dhoni at the other end made him forget his plans and his practice. As if hypnotised by Dhoni’s aura, Boult bowled the last two deliveries on a length. Against Dhoni, only one result is possible if you do that. Those two sixes off the final two balls propelled CSK to 179. The men in yellow had staged another one of their customary heists by taking the team from 27-1 in 6 overs to 179-4 in 20 overs. The most celebrated escape artist ever known to this game again playing the lead role.

With 179 to defend on a pitch that was offering assistance to the spinners, DC were always going to be under pressure. Despite getting off to a decent start, they kept losing wickets to the spinners, who had their tails up and were looking to pick wickets thanks to the cushion of a big score.

DC were expected to give a fight, but it never came as they suffered their biggest loss of this season. Their inexperience showed as the new batsmen underestimated the time left in the game and went too hard from the start. Later in the night, Ponting might well have shown Dhoni’s delayed assault to some of those young Delhi batsmen. CSK won inside twenty overs and got back to the top of the table.

Chennai aren’t a team without flaws, but when you add the Dhoni touch to it, they all manage to punch above their weight and appear impossible to beat. They are either destiny’s child or an incredibly driven unit under their captain. Whatever the reason for their success is, they are a super special sports team.

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