In the opening game of the IPL 2023, against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, the Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni came down to bat as low as number 8, and his turn to bat came in the 18th over of the innings.
With little time left to get himself in the innings – that clearly wasn’t the aim of the 42-year-old though who’s consigned himself, it seems, to that last few overs finisher role – MS Dhoni started swinging his bat for the fences.
He got only 3 singles on the first 3 balls he faced.
Then on the 3rd ball of the 20th over of CSK’s innings, bowled by Josh Little, the CSK skipper brought the roof down at the Narendra Modi stadium, sending the crowd into delirium with a gigantic sixer.
The lakh-plus capacity crowd had come to Ahmedabad for a moment of Dhoni to remember all their lives, and the CSK skipper didn’t disappoint them with his ferocious swing of the bat that connected to a length delivery from Little. MS Dhoni’s powerful, slick arms had grabbed headlines ahead of the IPL 2023, and now, it was on show.
As soon as he’d connected the ball with his meaty swing and brute power, the crowd knew there was only one destination that the ball was going to: over the fence for a colossal six.
Watch: MS Dhoni hits a massive six in Ahmedabad
😂Kar diya bhai! Check out Thala's 200th six for #CSK 💥#IPLonJioCinema #CSKvGT #TATAIPL https://t.co/eMKI8D3FXG pic.twitter.com/BeuUyBEBlf
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) March 31, 2023
On the next ball, MS Dhoni pulled Little for a four, the frustration on Titans skipper Hardik Pandya looking clear, but the Ahmedabad crowd didn’t care as they enjoyed every moment of Dhoni’s presence on the pitch.
Dhoni managed only one more run in the last two balls, but still went out with a strike rate of 200, after scoring 14 unbeaten runs in 7 balls.
This special MS Dhoni finish helped CSK finish on 178/7. Ruturaj Gaikwad brought his best to the IPL 2023 opening match, scoring 92 runs off 50 balls. However, other CSK batters couldn’t do much – the next highest score for Moeen Ali’s 23 – and they needed Dhoni to do a Dhoni to take them to what at the moment seems a par total on this surface.
