IPL 2022: 'You may get hit for 4 sixes in over but 2 balls you save will help win game,' says MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni. Pic/PTI

Chennai Super Kings under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni beat SunRisers Hyderabad by 13 runs in a high-scoring game where CSK scored 202/2 while SRH scored 189/6 in their 20 overs here at the MCA Stadium on Sunday.

"I always told my bowlers, you may get hit for 4 sixes in an over, but the 2 balls that you save - ultimately in a high-scoring game - those are the 2 deliveries that will help you win the game. Because a lot of bowlers, after getting 3-4 sixes, will be like let's get done with it but that one boundary or even instead of sixes if you get hit for 2 fours that will help you in a game. I don't know if they believe in that theory, but it really works," said Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni after the post-match presentation ceremony.

Openers Ruturaj Gaikwad's 99 off 57 balls and Devon Conway's unbeaten 85 off 55 balls helped CSK score 202/2 in 20 overs. The duo put on 182 runs for the opening wicket the highest ever opening partnership stand of CSK bettering the record of Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis who scored 181 runs for the opening wicket against Punjab Kings in 2020. With the ball, Mukesh Choudhary's four-wicket haul helped CSK restrict SRH to 189/6 in 20 overs.

"I think it was a good score to defend. It's one of those coincidences where we got off to a good start and forced the bowlers to bowl the areas where we wanted to hit. The kind of target we got was a very good one. The phase that really worked for us was where the spinners were bowling after 6 overs. We have had quite a few good batting performances, we have given a couple of overs that went for 25-26 runs, and even when you score 200, it really comes down to 175-180 in 19 overs. It's important to try something different as a bowler," said MS Dhoni.

Before the start of the season MS Dhoni handed over the captaincy baton to Ravindra Jadeja but under the all-rounder's captaincy, CSK lost six out of eight matches winning only two. His form too got affected and hence he decided to hand over the captaincy reins to his former skipper Dhoni and the four-time IPL winning captain helped CSK win the very first game after his comeback. "Between me and Jadeja, he knew last season itself that he will be given a chance to captain this year. He knew and got enough time to prepare, what is important is you want him to lead the side and I wanted that transition to happen," said Dhoni

"In the first 2 games there was information going in towards Jaddu and after that, I left it to him to decide which angle to bowl and all that. At the end of the season, you don't want him to feel as if the captaincy was done by someone else and I'm just going for a toss. So it was a gradual transition. Spoon-feeding doesn't really help captain, on the field you have to take those crucial decisions and you have to take responsibility for those decisions," added Dhoni. After registering their third win of the season MS Dhoni-led CSK will now take on Royal Challengers Bangalore on Wednesday.

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