(ESPNCRICINFO) – A VINTAGE MS Dhoni innings — one that ended with three sixes off the last three balls — tipped Chennai Super Kings from par score to winning score as they staged a comeback to beat Rajasthan Royals by eight runs in Chennai.
A part of Dhoni’s unbeaten 75 off 46, his highest score at home, was built in partnership with Suresh Raina after the pair had been united on 27 for 3 after Ajinkya Rahane had put them in.
But it was at the end that Dhoni turned it. With Dwayne Bravo, who would later defend 12 off the last over, Dhoni put up 56 in 29 balls as Royals conceded a match-defining 67 off the last four overs.
Ben Stokes, Rahul Tripathi, and Jofra Archer played crucial knocks, but Royals’ own collapse at the start of the chase compounded meant they had too much to do at the end.
Super Kings got only one of the first two overs.
Jofra Archer had hit Ambati Rayudu on the forearm before closing the wicket-maiden off by having him fend one to the keeper.
Short of a length fast bowling still seemed the optimal strategy and Shane Watson was cognizant of this, getting boundaries off Dhawal Kulkarni and Ben Stokes on the back foot.
His indulgence was short-lived though. Having just pulled Stokes for six, he guided an upper-cut straight to short third man two balls later.
Kedar Jadhav also perished in an attacking haze shortly afterwards – two pull shots for fours off Stokes, out third ball throwing his hands at a wide ball from Kulkarni.
At 27 for 3, Royals had Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni to bowl at in the last over of the Powerplay, and Super Kings’ senior-most batsmen looked vulnerable.
The length of attack remained the same, Archer attacking Raina’s ribs with a leg gully and getting him hopping and fending.
When Dhoni took strike, his back foot defence rolled back onto the stumps, only for the bails to remain in place. Then, things got easy.
Royals chose to save Kulkarni’s remaining over for the slog overs, meaning the pressure was immediately relieved with five straight overs of spin.
Shreyas Gopal and K Gowtham were reasonably economical to start off, but Raina grew increasingly more confident and took them on.
When the bowling change came about, it was Jaydev Unadkat and as most teams have done, Super Kings went after him straight away. Dhoni flat-batted a slower ball for his first boundary and Raina tickled one fine later in the over.
But Royals got some openings. In his next over, Unadkat bowled Raina a ball after he’d survived a run-out attempt, and in the next over, Gowtham dropped Dhoni – a difficult chance – at extra cover.
The 61-run stand had done enough to put Royals on the defensive and with a well-set Dhoni surviving that chance, Super Kings looked set for a big launch.