On Sunday, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated Delhi Capitals (DC) in the first Qualifier by four wickets at Dubai International Cricket Stadium to book a place in the final of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
Ruturaj Gaikwad (70 off 50) and Robin Uthappa (63 off 44) played massive roles behind CSK’s dream chase of 173, with skipper MS Dhoni adding the finishing touch. Dhoni returned to form by scoring a quickfire 18* off six balls, including three fours and a six.
After the sensational victory, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming revealed the epic triumph was emotional for the whole unit as they wanted to see MSD coming on top of the fans’ expectations.
“It was emotionally great for us. We know the pressure he has and the expectation that there is on him, and again he came triumph for us. So it was emotional in the dressing room,” said Fleming at the post-match presser.
The Kiwi termed Dhoni as a world-class player and stated that the veteran stumper might come to bat at number five in the upcoming final of the fourteenth season.
“He is a world-class [player], and he may come out no. 5 in the final, we know how good he is, but we are also trying to utilise our other resources well,” added the former New Zealand captain.
During the CSK chase, one moment took everyone by surprise when Shardul Thakur came to bat at number four ahead of Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhoni and even Dwayne Bravo. The plan backfired as Thakur was sent back at golden duck by Tom Curran. Fleming spoke about that and said they went for a positive move in order to keep the run rate high, but it didn’t go down well.
“It was a really positive move, what we were trying was to really get ahead of the game. Robbie [Robin Uthappa] was struggling a little bit, and he had an aggressive role, and we wanted to continue that. Take some pressure off Ruturaj, we get 15 to 20 runs in quick time, which will help in the back end of the game. It didn’t pay off, but the thinking is positive and in line with how we want to play the game,” Fleming added further.
