MS Dhoni pleased with CSK’s performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad

After the victory of Chennai Super Kings over Sunrisers Hyderabad, MS Dhoni is a relieved man. The 3-time champions registered their third win in eight games after defeating SRH by 20 runs in the IPL 2020.

On Tuesday, CSK put up a challenging total of 167 for 6 after batting first for the first time in IPL 2020. They scored 167 in their allotted 20 overs. After getting promoted as an opener unexpectedly, Sam Curran played a quick thump of 31 to give the side the early push. Shane Watson became the top-scorer with 42 runs while Ambati Rayudu scored 41 as the pair shared an 81-run partnership.

The little contribution of MS Dhoni (21 off 13 balls) and Ravindra Jadeja (25 off 10 balls) played a vital role in making sure that CSK gives a challenging target to the opponents. For SRH, Sandeep Sharma was the best performing bowler. He gave just 19 runs off his four overs while taking two wickets. Khaleel Ahmed and T Natarajan got two wickets each as well.

During their chase, SRH ended their game by scoring 147 at the loss of 8 wickets. Apart from Kane Williamson, no other player could play a considerable knock with the bat. The former SRH captain fought hard and scored 57 runs. However, the absence of help from the opposite end implied his knock went futile.

MS Dhoni was all in praise for his teammates

Speaking at the post-match with the media, MS Dhoni expressed his relief and said that the game was practically an ideal game from his side. He praised the way the CSK bowlers gave a performance and defended their score. Apart from his bowlers, he was also sure to put in good words about his batsmen. With 6 points now, CSK is at the 6th spot of the IPL points table.

“Ultimately what really matters is you getting two points. What T20s have shown is that there are a few games that don’t go your way and then there are some that go your way even when you haven’t earned it. Today I felt we did a very good job even in the batting.”

“There was some purpose with the bat and the batsmen assessed the situation very well. With a total like 160, it all depends on the start you get in the first six overs. The fast bowlers did the job, the spinners came into play and it was one game that was as close to being perfect,” said MS Dhoni.

“It was a par score and I usually assess scores after the first six overs. If there are misfields in the first six overs then a par score becomes an under par score. A lot depended on the fast bowlers. I just told them to be expressive on the field and hit their areas. There are some two paced balls, some swing and some don’t swing, some get extra bounce. What was needed was good execution of the plans and that was done by the fast bowlers,” he added.

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