In front of a full house at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) nearly pulled off a sensational triumph against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 clash on Wednesday. Despite the valiant efforts of their captain, MS Dhoni, who remained unbeaten till the end, the Super Kings fell short of victory by just 3 runs.
CSK needed 5 runs to win on the final ball with MSD on strike, but Sandeep Sharma, who had already conceded two sixes in the last over, showed nerves of steel and bowled an inch-perfect yorker to hand Rajasthan a hard-earned win.
After the match, CSK coach Stephen Fleming dropped a bombshell, stating that ‘Thala’ Dhoni is not 100 per cent fit and is nursing a knee injury. Notably, it was somehow visible during the slog overs of CSK’s chase, where Dhoni, who usually remains the absolute best in terms of fitness, looked slightly uncomfortable.
It first came to light on the last ball of the 18th over when Ravindra Jadeja hit Adam Zampa off his pad and started off quickly, sensing an opportunity for a double run. However, Dhoni, who is known for his inclination towards stealing runs, did not display any intention of returning for a second run and slowly made his way to the striker’s end.
In the subsequent over, Jason Holder bowled a yorker, which the veteran stumper struck towards long-on, and hobbled for a single run. It was quite evident from his actions that Dhoni was struggling with pain and a potential injury.
“He is nursing a knee injury, which you can see in some of his movements, which is hindering him somewhat. But still, what you saw today is a great player for us. His fitness has always been very professional. He comes a month before the tournament starts. He’s a great player. We have never doubts over him. He’s just amazing,” said Fleming in the post-match presser.
