Dhoni burst caps off stellar efforts by Ruturaj, Dube
The combined batting might powers Super Kings past the 200mark against Mumbai Indians, with the star gloveman sizzling with a fourball 20 off the last four deliveries of the innings
hivam Dube returned to his hallowed home turf in style. Ruturaj Gaikwad registered his personal best as the Chennai Super Kings captain. But the last four balls of the first innings will be remembered for ever in the IPL history.
Had it not been for those four deliveries, Chennai Super Kings would have struggled to cross the 200run mark against Mumbai Indians. That total may be a bare minimum at the Wankhede Stadium at this time of the year, considering the heavy impact the dew cover has on the outcome of the game.
More importantly, those four balls — faced by the legendary M.S. Dhoni — not only let the Mumbaikars witness their beloved batter one last time at the same venue where he had lifted the coveted World Cup 13 years ago.
If he had sealed India’s emphatic World Cup final win with a six that April 2 night, on Sunday, barring the last of the four balls he faced from Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya, all the other balls flew into the stands.
The decibel levels were extremely high ever since Ajinkya Rahane opened in place of Ruturaj. The noise level literally burst out of control when Dhoni walked down the dressing room staircase after Daryl Mitchell holed out to Mohammad Nabi at longon.
The first ball was full and wide and Dhoni — who had struggled to time the ball during his rangehitting stint the previous night — sent it sailing over longoff, into the Dilip
SVengsarkar North Stand. The next one was a touch straighter and it was despatched to the Sachin Tendulkar Stand on the other side of the sight screen.
Hardik targeted the blockhole next, erred in lineandlength and Dhoni sent it over squaerleg, into the corridor between the Vijay Merchant Pavilion and the Garware Pavilion. The home team was at the receiving end but who cared? The last ball – a