The 16th season of IPL – IPL 2023 is reaching its climax ! - today Chennai Super Kings gave a clinical display in beating Delhi and qualifying !
The road was not exactly strewn with roses ! - social media pundits threw memes at CSK and mercurial MS Dhoni calling them oldies – only retired players would quality to be in – and the bowling has no attack at all and would find it tough to defend a 300+ total !!
The leader MSD was not getting young at 41; there was Rayudu 37; Rahane 34; Moeen Ali 35, Jaddu 34, Ben Stokes 31, Santner 31 to name a few. The bowling on paper was unknown stuff ! – Akash singh, Mukesh, Solanki, Senapati, Hangargekar, Tushar Deshpande (most of them who !) + Theekshana, Pathirana !! .. .. people earlier were criticizing Dhoni for providing ample opportunities to Ruturaj Gaikwad, Conway was no replacement for Faf, then Shivam Dube was all at sea in the first matches – struggling !! - the man, the Captain MSD and the franchise owner Mr Kasi (Kallidaikuruchi S Viswanathan) had ample faith and struck to their formula – and today we are relishing the result !!
There is none in the game who judge DRS better and if MSD were to appeal, perhaps there is no need for seeing TV replays !! – today Dhoni faltered, knowing truly well that it is not on – he did with a impish smile – it was the final over and Theekshana was on a hatrick. Huge appeal, not given! Dhoni reviewed, with a smile on his face! Full delivery that might have just pitched outside leg before continuing with the arm. Sakariya plays down the wrong line and is pinned on the pads. The umpire says no, possibly because it might have pitched outside leg. And he is right. The ball indeed pitched outside leg, and Theekshana will not get a hat-trick today! …. Dhoni reviewed primarily to give another chance for Theekshana and by that time match was well and truly over.
This afternoon, Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad made merry in Delhi, enjoying the kind of batting conditions David Warner had hoped to maximise for home advantage. It allowed Chennai Super Kings to dominate from start to finish in a 77-run win and assure themselves of a playoff berth with 17 points.
The utterance of MSD – post match conferences have been too attractive – MSD is a real management guru. Today it was not live on TV but here is something read and excerpted from Cricinfo.
MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings captain: (On CSK's playoff record) There is no recipe as such. You try to pick the best players and try to give them the best slot. You use them in the manner where they have most chances of succeeding and groom them in the areas where they are not as strong. If you are doing whatever is best for the team, it falls into line.
How many times you can execute under pressure is the main thing. When you are confident, you execute more often than not. Behind the scenes, a lot of work goes on and I feel the bowlers have taken the responsibility. Pathirana is quite a natural when it comes to bowling at the death so that is one less headache. The way Tushar has come around has been remarkable. (Qualities he looks for in players) You need someone who is always team-first. Those are the kind of characters you look for. From a distance, it is difficult to judge that. We want them (players) to adjust to the environment. Even if they try to come 10%, we are willing to go to 50% and meet them in the middle. !!
Great words MSD – CSK may win or lose ! - MSD is a phenomenon. Today Morawakage Maheesh Theekshana bowled a maiden – the 20th over and took 2 wickets too ! the first maiden 20th over was bowled by Jeetan Patel at Hamilton against West Indies in a T20I in Dec 2008.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
20.5.2023
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