‘Those three sixes proved to be the difference’: Gaikwad praises Dhoni

NEW DELHI: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad hailed the young wicketkeeper MS Dhoni for his exceptional performance, particularly his feat of hitting three successive sixes off Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
Gaikwad recognised Dhoni’s pivotal contribution, acknowledging that it ultimately made the decisive difference in the match.Dhoni scored 20 runs off four balls, and that proved to be the exact margin of victory for CSK.Set 207 for victory, five-time winners Mumbai finished on 186/6 even though Rohit Sharma raised his ton in 61 balls.
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Dhoni arrived in the middle with the scorecard showing 186/4 in 19.2 overs, and in no time, vintage Dhoni (20 off 4 balls) made the scoreboard read 206/4 in the stipulated 20 overs, with the help of three massive sixes and a double off the last ball of the innings.
“The young wicketkeeper scoring those three sixes helped us a lot, that proved to be the difference. We needed those 10-15 extra runs for this kind of venue. In the middle phase, Bumrah bowled really well. I feel we were spot on with our execution with the ball despite them scoring some great shots. I would have taken 6 overs 60 at the powerplay,” Gaikwad said at the post-match interaction.
“You need to be on the mark with bowling and batting at this venue. Our Malinga bowled really well today, he nailed those yorkers. Not to forget, Tushar and Shardul also did well. (On plans ahead) I think we need to keep it simple, encourage all to be in a good headspace and continue the same way. Jinks was carrying a bit of a niggle, so thought it was better for him to open. I’m fine batting anywhere, plus it is the added responsibility as the team captain,” Gaikwad added.
Gaikwad and the in-form Shivam Dube powered Chennai, who won their fifth title last year, to 206/4. Gaikwad hit 69 and Dube smashed an unbeaten 66 before warhorse M.S. Dhoni smashed three successive sixes in the 20th over to take Chennai past 200.
Sri Lanka quick Matheesha Pathirana then took four wickets to push Mumbai to their fourth loss of the season.