CSK wicketkeeper batter MS Dhoni has come under fire for refusing a single to his teammate Daryl Mitchell during IPL 2024 Match 49 between PBKS and CSK on Wednesday, May 01 at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
Critics galore as MS Dhoni denies singles in the last over
During the first innings of the game, Dhoni, on the third ball of the last over, sliced a low full toss from Arshdeep Singh towards deep extra cover. Daryl Mitchell, his teammate, ran for a single. However, Dhoni denied the run, causing Mitchell to return to the non-striker’s end after almost reaching the striker’s end.
This refusal to take a single to his batting partner hasn’t gone down well with some of the fans who are unhappy with the legendary cricketer. Among the critics is former India cricketer turned commentator, Aakash Chopra.
Chopra called out Dhoni for his act and said that he wasn’t batting with a tailender and that he chose to keep the strike. “In the end, Dhoni even refused to take a single. It’s fine but Daryl Mitchell is Daryl Mitchell. You were not batting with Mustafizur, no disrespect, but he refused. He hit a six but the runs were never going to be enough, and that’s exactly how it panned out,” said Chopra on his YouTube channel.
Dhoni went on to hit a six on the second last ball of the over before finally getting dismissed for the first time in the ongoing season on the last ball of the innings for 14 (11) while Mitchell remained unbeaten on 1.
People saying Dhoni is selfish for not taking that single and sending Daryl Mitchell back…..
What do you think ????
| Chennai super kings | Thala | ।। #DHONI𓃵 #CSKvsPBKS #MSDhoni𓃵 #IPL2024 pic.twitter.com/CgpjP1DJ5y
— Suraj Yaduvansh (Golden) 🇮🇳 (@iGoldenABVP) May 2, 2024
Chopra also criticized CSK for their slow starts and not utilizing the fielding restrictions in the first six overs of the innings. He said, “They start slowly. The Chennai Express always starts slowly. They are a locomotive engine that takes time to warm up. They made 50-odd runs in the powerplay. Ajinkya Rahane got out after the powerplay”.
The match ended with CSK scoring a modest total of 162/7. PBKS chased down the target in 17.5 overs courtesy of brilliant knocks from Jonny Bairstow (46 off 30) and Rilee Rossouw (43 off 23).
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