MS Dhoni is considered one of the best cricket captains of all time, and his remarkable cricketing intelligence and decision-making abilities have earned him widespread admiration. During an IPL match between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI), Dhoni demonstrated his innate understanding of the game and his ability to anticipate the course of play. His smart tactics helped him outsmart his counterpart Rohit Sharma.
In the third over of MI’s innings, Dhoni decided to change the field as Rohit walked in to bat at number three. He brought in fielders at backward point, short third and a slip while he himself stepped up to the stumps as CSK pacer Deepak Chahar began to bowl. Rohit attempted to lap a slower delivery from Chahar but ended up hitting it to Ravindra Jadeja, who was positioned at backward point. Commentator Sanjay Manjrekar praised Dhoni’s move on air, recognizing his brilliance.
Here’s the video:
👉MSD comes up to the stumps 😎
👉Rohit Sharma attempts the lap shot
👉@imjadeja takes the catch 🙌
Watch how @ChennaiIPL plotted the dismissal of the #MI skipper 🎥🔽 #TATAIPL | #MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/fDq1ywGsy7
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 6, 2023
Chahar jumped in joy and pointed towards Dhoni, appreciating his plan for dismissing Rohit. The MI skipper had to walk back for a duck, his 16th in the history of IPL.
The dismissal of Rohit was a significant factor in CSK gaining momentum in the game, highlighting the effectiveness of Dhoni’s tactics. MI could only manage 139/8 in their stipulated 20 overs. Nehal Wadhera (64 off 51) was the top-scorer for the touring side, while Suryakumar Yadav’s 26 off 22 was the second-best score.
For CSK, Chahar (2/18 in 3 overs), Tushar Deshpande (2/26 in 4 overs) and Matheesha Pathirana (3/15 in 4 overs) were all among the wickets.
