Chennai Super Kings will take on arch-rivals Mumbai Indians in the opening clash of IPL 2021, phase 2, tonight at 7.30 PM and fans just can’t wait for the high-voltage drama between the two arch-rivals. Ahead of the clash, former Indian cricketer, Sanjay Manjrekar feels that Chennai Super Kings‘ skipper MS Dhoni has finally accepted “the facts of life”.
During the first half of the IPL 2021, MS Dhoni had opted to send Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran ahead of him, when the team was required to accelerate the scoring.
Speaking about the same on Instagram (presented by Dafa News), Manjrekar said that he feels MS Dhoni has come to terms with the new role he needs to play for his team Chennai Super Kings. He believes that the fans were witnessing more of a captain, rather than the batter he used to be. He said:
“What was noticeable was Mahendra Singh Dhoni himself realizing his limitations as an impact player. He was more in the background. He was more a captain than a batter. Shows that a great man has come to terms with the facts of life and aging as well,”
He added:
“It seemed like the penny finally seemed to have dropped on Mahendra Singh Dhoni,” he said. “He realized that aging is a thing he had to respect and you can see a slightly different approach from Chennai.”
Further, Sanjay Manjrekar also talked about Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina’s performances and current form. He said:
“In Raidu and Raina, they have local aging players,” he said. “Raina is showing signs of rustiness. Rayudu, towards the end of the last half, showed some signs of form.”
He further praised Dhoni for bringing the best out of people, referring to how Dhoni has helped Moeen Ali evolve under his leadership. He said:
“Moeen Ali was a revelation in the last half with his batting at the top of the order,” Manjrekar said. “This is what Dhoni does, he gets the best out of people. He is a talented player, Moeen Ali. He has the ability to hit good balls for fours and sixes.” He added: “He is going to be a key player at the top of the order along with Faf du Plessis,”
However, MS Dhoni has been making a lot of news for his amazing net sessions. In the latest videos shared by CSK, Dhoni was seen whacking the pacers as well as the spinners to all parts of the ground. Fans would love to see their “Thala” carry this form in the tournament as well.
In the first half of IPL 2021, Dhoni scored only 37 runs in the seven games he played, however, he struck those runs at a strike rate of 123.33. But Dhoni failed to play a big knock and fans would be hoping to witness one in the coming days.
