I didn’t take singles as I was trying to hit sixes: Dhoni
bengaluru — MS Dhoni was at his menacing best in Chennai Super Kings’ narrow one-run loss to the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday night.
By playing a vintage 48-ball 84, Dhoni almost pulled off a miraculous chase on Sunday.
Chasing 162, CSK managed to score 160/8 in their stipulated 20 overs, thus succumbing to their second consecutive loss.
The visitors, during the chase, were at one stage reeling at 28/4. That’s when Dhoni came to his team’s rescue and almost managed to snatch an away victory.
With 26 runs needed in the final over, the 37-year-old smashed 24 runs in the first five balls off Umesh Yadav. With two needed in the final ball, Dhoni played and missed as Parthiv Patel’s direct throw found Shardul Thakur short of the crease to seal RCB’s win. During the course of the chase, Dhoni had thrice refused to take singles in the penultimate over when Dwayne Bravo was his partner in the middle.
When asked about his decision, Dhoni said: “As I had played so many deliveries, I could afford to take that risk because a lot of runs were needed. I think in 10 or 12 deliveries, we needed something close to 40 runs or 36 runs or something like that, which meant a lot of boundaries were needed.
“So yes, right now you can calculate, two runs over there, one run over there, and we are through, because we lost by one run, but at the same time what you have to see is what if there were a few dot balls, whether we could have got those extra boundaries or not,” he added.
The CSK skipper said that Bravo would have found it difficult to connect. “It was still difficult at the end. Boundaries were needed and yes we have lost by one run but at the same time we have to see what if there were few dot balls and whether we could have got those extra boundaries or not,” he said.
CSK head coach Stephen Fleming also did not question Dhoni’s decision, saying the wicketkeeperbatsman was the best to judge the situation. —