Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni packs such a brute punch that he once broke a bowler’s fingers with a thunderous hit, his former CSK and India teammate Robin Uthappa has revealed.
“The first time I saw MS Dhoni was during an India A camp in 2003 at the NCA in Bengaluru. MS was batting in the middle of the Chinnaswamy Stadium against Munaf Patel, who at that point in time was quick with a slingy action. There were other fast bowlers like Aavishkar Salvi. And MS was hitting huge sixes. He brought out the helicopter shot. Some of the balls even landed outside the stadium," Uthappa said during an interaction on Jio Cinema.
IPL 2023 Full Coverage | IPL 2023 Schedule | IPL 2023 Results | IPL Orange Cap | IPL Purple Cap
“In fact, he actually injured Sridharan Sriram. He stepped out and smashed it straight to the bowler. Sriram stuck his hand out and it hit him. We thought he was running after the ball but he crossed the ball and kept running towards the dressing room. He immediately knew that he had broken his hand. I think he ended up with two broken fingers. We all got an idea of how hard MS hits the ball. Then I knew that he will play for India," the former India opener added.
Dhoni went on to become one of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen that the game has known and captained his sides to numerous title wins. While in national colours, he inspired his team to lift the ODI World Cup after 28 years in 2011, he was also instrumental in India winning the inaugural edition of the ICC World T20 in 2007. Incidentally, Uthappa was a part of that 2007 victory. Dhoni led India to another ICC trophy triumph – the Champions Trophy in 2013. India’s success under Dhoni looks all the more impressive when you consider the ICC trophy drought that they have been going through lately.
Also read – ‘MS Dhoni 100 Per Cent Playing’: CSK CEO Claims Their Captain is Available For IPL 2023 Opener vs GT
For CSK, Dhoni has been extraordinary too. He has led them to four Indian Premier League (IPL) titles (2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021) and the most number of final appearances (nine). In the Champions League T20, the Dhoni-led CSK won two titles (in 2010 and 2014). Under Dhoni’s leadership, CSK have taken their win percentage to a healthy 58.41%, which is the highest among IPL franchises. The master wicketkeeper-batsman had also led the Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) in 2016 after CSK were suspended for two years.
As the captain of CSK and RPS, Dhoni boasts of an overall IPL record of 123 wins in 210 matches. This gives him a win percentage of 58.85%.
As a player, Dhoni has scored 4,978 runs, taken 135 catches and effected 39 stumpings in 234 matches. Such has been the aura around Dhoni that even current IPL franchise captains Hardik Pandya, who incidentally is Dhoni’s opponent in the opening match of IPL 2023, and Faf du Plessis, have said how they are indebtedness to Dhoni. Steve Smith, on the other hand, who had captained Dhoni at RPS in 2017, said it was a daunting task.
Dhoni is expected to be at the helm when CSK takes the field against holders Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Friday. Although there have been reports that he had sustained a minor injury ahead of the match, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan confirmed, much to the relief of CSK fans across the world, that the 41-year-old skipper will be available.
Get the latest Cricket News here
Comments
0 comment