Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni admitted that he can be a very ‘annoying’ captain while talking to Harsha Bhogle in the post-match presentation ceremony after leading CSK to the final of IPL 2023 with a victory over Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1.
CSK defeated GT by 15 runs at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday to reach their 10th IPL final.
Dhoni is usually a calm customer on the fielder but the CSK skipper was at his animated best after Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway picked up crucial catches on the field to help CSK tighten their grip on the contest. When quizzed about the same, Dhoni hinted that he can be a very annoying captain to work with, as all the fielders are instructed to keep looking at him, even for the minute changes he might make on the field.
“You see the wicket and according to that you keep adjusting the field. I can be a very annoying captain, I keep shifting fielders 2-3 feet. Only request I ask from the fielders is, keep an eye on me. If there’s a dropped catch there will be no reaction (from me), just keep an eye on me,” said the 41-year-old.
Indeed Dhoni’s experience played a key role in the dismissals of the likes of Hardik Pandya who holed out to Ravindra Jadeja with the CSK skipper seen adjusting his field just before the dismissal. Similarly, Ruturaj’s catch of Vijay Shankar was another crucial game-changing moment and Conway’s catch to dismiss the dangerous-looking Rashid Khan proved to be the final nail in the coffin for GT.
CSK would eventually go on to win the match by 15 runs as they restricted the defending champions to a total of 157 after they themselves put up a total of 172 on the board.
While the four-time IPL champs were clinical on the field, Gujarat Titans gave away a major lifeline to Ruturaj Gaikwad who survived an early no-ball call and the Maharashtra batter would then go on to smash 60 in 44 balls.
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