Dhoni sends Khaleel Ahmed’s slower ball over the deep mid-wicket boundary for a six, igniting a frenzy among the crowd. The delivery was on a length outside off, but Dhoni pulled it with gusto, sending it sailing over the short boundary. His wife and daughter are delighted with the shot.
Dhoni slashes at a full and wide delivery outside off from Khaleel Ahmed, and the ball takes a thick outside-edge that flies over short third man for a lucky boundary.
Khaleel Ahmed bowls another slower ball outside off, and this time Dhoni forehands it for a six that barely clears the straight boundary. The crowd goes wild in Chepauk as Dhoni’s raw power propels the ball all the way. This six, along with two boundaries, takes Dhoni’s score to 21 runs off the over.
CSK’s score of 167 owes much to Dhoni’s blistering cameo in the penultimate over that yielded 21 runs. It’s a commendable score considering the pitch offered some assistance to the pacers and spinners. Despite getting starts, CSK’s batsmen struggled to convert them into big scores, as DC’s bowlers kept picking up crucial wickets just when CSK threatened to run away with the game.
Conway failed to deliver, and even Gaikwad, who looked set, got out cheaply right after the timeout. DC’s bowling attack was spearheaded by Mitchell Marsh, while their spinners used the conditions well to extract turn and grip from the surface. All in all, CSK would be happy with their total, which was slightly higher than what they were initially aiming for.
