When MS Dhoni was run out against Punjab Kings on Wednesday, he was dismissed for the first time in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season.
The Chennai Super Kings lost the match prematurely against the opposition spinners due to a batting collapse after they had batted first.
A Dhoni cameo, though, delighted the home crowd. The former captain of CSK appeared at the crease after Ruturaj Gaikwad was removed from the game.
The MA Chidambaram Stadium allegedly reached 121 decibels of sound as it enthusiastically greeted Dhoni.
Before Dhoni took the batting, CSK had not yet scored more than 150 runs. The renowned Indian skipper was anticipated to deliver a memorable performance.
In the third ball of the last over for CSK, MS Dhoni turned down a simple single. Dhoni sliced a low full delivery outside off thrown by Arshdeep Singh off the toe end. Daryl Mitchell, at the non-striker's end, had already taken off and was almost to the striker's end, even though the ball landed safely in front of the long off fielder. However, Dhoni made the unexpected decision to stand still rather than run.
Dhoni did not make a move to make the run, so Mitchell returned to the non-strikers' end. Mitchell covered two lengths of the pitch, but Dhoni did not intend to leave the striker's end, hence CSK was not given any runs.
Irfan Pathan, a former all-rounder for India, criticised Dhoni for his batting selection to deny Daryl Mitchell a single. An inquiry regarding Pathan's thoughts on Dhoni's innings came up during his Star Sports interview. He contended that since Mitchell is an international player as well, Dhoni ought to have taken the single. Pathan questioned Dhoni's decision not to rotate the strike in that particular instance.
Despite having a large fan base and being adored by everybody, MS Dhoni's performance didn't live up to the sort of knock he played, according to Pathan.
Since cricket is a team sport, you shouldn't turn down a team run. Another international player is the other batsman. It would make more sense to decline a run if there had been a tailender. You've previously turned down runs with Mitchell and Jadeja. Here, there's no excuse for declining runs. 'He ought to have gone for the single,' he asserted.
After making a quick cameo and hitting one four and one six, MS Dhoni was removed from the game on the last ball of the innings for 14 runs off 11 balls. In the IPL 2024, this was Dhoni's first dismissal.
On May 5 at Dharamsala, CSK and PBKS will play a rematch.
Also Read: Samson Posted In Malayalam After T20 World Cup Selection Is Viral
