MS Dhoni marshalled his bowling attack well once again as table-toppers Chennai Super Kings outclassed Royal Challengers Bangalore by 6 wickets on Friday. CSK returned to the top of the points table after their 7th win of the season. Former India wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel was all praise for skipper MS Dhoni after Chennai Super Kings comfortably beat Royal Challengers Bangalore in a crunch IPL 2021 encounter.
Parthiv Patel said MS Dhoni continues to be a master tactician when it comes to the shortest format of the game. Shedding light on MS Dhoni’s success as captain in the IPL, Parthiv Patel said the former India captain has earned the trust of his players and it becomes easier to plan and execute tactics in the middle.
Parthiv Patel: There’s A Reason Why MS Dhoni Is Called Mentor Singh Dhoni As He Was Appointed Mentor Of Indian T20 Team At T20I World Cup
Parthiv Patel’s comments came after MS Dhoni-led CSK to the top of the table once again after the convincing victory over RCB. MS Dhoni and his good friend Suresh Raina took fans back on the memory lane as both of them remained unbeaten and helped CSK complete a 157-run chase in 18.1 overs.
However, the victory for CSK was set up by their pace bowlers. RCB got off to a flying start in Sharjah as openers Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli sent balls flying into the stands in a 111-run opening stand. However, RCB imploded in the last 10 overs, managing just 66 runs and losing 6 wickets.
“There is a reason why we now say Mentor Singh Dhoni,” Parthiv Patel told Star Sports on Friday, highlighting Dhoni’s role as India’s mentor at the T20 World Cup will only benefit the team.
“He has been around for so many years, he understands the situation. He is a master of reading the pitches and a master of how to get the best out of your bowlers. He knows how to get the best out of Bravo, Shardul Thakur, or Deepak Chahar. The good thing is that everyone trusts him. When there is a good plan, everyone trusts him with it because there is a lot of experience behind it and a lot of success behind it,” he said.
MS Dhoni conceded that CSK was worried about the dew on the Sharjah pitch when RCB openers Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli were going great guns after he sent them to bat after winning the toss. The two RCB openers added 111 for the opening wicket before pacers Dwayne Bravo and Shardul Thakur pulled things back for CSK.
MS Dhoni Sheds Light On Managing To Convince Dwayne Bravo To Limit Usage Of Slower Balls
Dwayne Bravo and Shardul Thakur, the pace all-rounders played crucial roles in helping CSK pull things back in the second half of the RCB innings. Dwayne Bravo got the first breakthrough by picking the big wicket of Virat Kohli in the 14th over, triggering RCB’s collapse. The West Indies all-rounder finished with figures of 3/24 to emerge as the Player of the Match.
After the victory against RCB, MS Dhoni himself shed light on how he had managed to convince Dwayne Bravo to limit the usage of his slower balls while heaping praise on the T20 ace. MS Dhoni had also convinced Dwayne Bravo to use his slower balls as an element of surprise in T20 cricket.
On the other hand, Shardul Thakur broke the back of the RCB batting unit, getting the wicket of AB de Villiers and a well-set Devdutt Padikkal in successive deliveries in the 17th over. MS Dhoni said he is happy that Dwayne Bravo has turned up fit for the UAE leg of IPL 2021 and revealed he has friendly arguments with his “brother”.
Chennai Super Kings 157 for 4 (Gaikwad 38, Rayudu 32, Harshal 2-25) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 156 for 6 (Padikkal 70, Kohli 53, Bravo 3-24, Thakur 2-29) by six wickets.