MS Dhoni’s influence in Indian cricket is unparalleled. While many cricketers have fans, the legendary wicketkeeper-batsman commands a devoted following. Whenever he takes the field for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the stadium is awash in yellow, thanks to his massive fanbase. Over the years, numerous incredible stories of Dhoni’s fandom have emerged, leaving the cricketing world in awe.
One recent incident further illustrates the extent of his supporters’ dedication. A CSK fan arrived at the MA Chidambaram Stadium with his three daughters to witness their favorite player in action during a one-sided Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The father shared that initially, he couldn’t secure tickets for the match and had to pay a staggering INR 64,000 to purchase them on the black market.
“I didn’t get the tickets, so I bought them in black. It was a total of ₹64,000. I am yet to pay the school fees. But we wanted to see MS Dhoni just once. My three daughters and I are very happy,” the father told Sportwalk Chennai.
“My father has worked very hard to get these tickets. We were very happy when Dhoni came to play,” one of his young daughters said. (Hardik Pandya Gets Booed Once Again, Lauder Cheer For RCB At Wankhede Stadium; Video Goes Viral – Watch)
The father’s commitment didn’t stop at the ticket price. He confessed that he had postponed paying his daughters’ school fees to afford the match tickets and witness the former India captain’s brilliance on the field.
Clad in Chennai jerseys, the father and his daughters enthusiastically joined in the trademark fanfare of the five-time champions, blowing whistles to show their support.
Following his side’s seven-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) pacer Tushar Deshpande revealed how their former skipper and superstar wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni played a prank on fans during the match.
After two losses at home, CSK returned to winning ways as an all-round effort helped them beat KKR at Chepauk Stadium on Monday. Shreyas Iyer (34 in 32 balls, with three fours) and Sunil Narine (27 in 20 balls, with three fours and two sixes) top-scored for KKR while Ravindra Jadeja (3/18) and Tushar (3/33) shined with the ball to restrict the two-time champions to 137/9. Later, a half-century from skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (67 in 58 balls, with nine fours) and an explosive knock of 28 in 18 balls (one four and three sixes) by Shivam Dube helped CSK attain victory with 14 balls to go.
In a video by IPL, Tushar revealed that MS Dhoni played a prank on the CSK crowd by asking Jadeja to pretend that he was going out to bat even though MS went out to bat actually.
After Shivam was dismissed in the 17th over with three runs left to chase, the crowd started cheering heavily anticipating the arrival of Dhoni to finish off the match. Jadeja, fully padded up in his batting gear, pretended to walk out to bat, but turned back to the dugout with a smile. Then walked out Dhoni, drastically raising the decibel levels at the venue with his arrival. Dhoni scored an unbeaten one in three balls and Gaikwad finished off the innings.
“Dhoni bhai instructed Jaddu (Jadeja) bhai, ‘I will go for batting but you just act like you are going.'” I overheard that in the changing room,” revealed Tushar in the video by IPL.
“He just showed a glimpse of himself out in the middle and fans got their money’s worth,” Jadeja added.
The all-rounder said that initially during the powerplay, the wicket looked good to bat on and the ball was coming nicely on the bat. (Mohammed Siraj Bows Down To Jasprit Bumrah After MI Pacer Takes Five-Wicket Haul In MI vs RCB Game In IPL 2024, Video Goes Viral – Watch)
“But when I started to bowl, I realised that it was not the case. Things were not easy for the batters as the ball was coming slow to them,” added Jadeja, who changed the game by getting Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Sunil Narine and Venkatesh Iyer quickly.
Jadeja also revealed that the team does not hold a lot of meetings and keeps things simple.
Deshpande said that the team has plans for every batter, but has something extra planned for some of them, in this case, Phil Salt, who was dismissed by Tushar for a golden duck on the first ball of the game.
“We have plans for every batter, but there is a bit more planning involved for some of the batters. Jaddu bhai took a great catch and Salt was in good form, so it was good to get his wicket early in the match. I was able to do that, so I am happy about it,” Deshpande explained.
The pacer, who has taken five wickets in five matches so far, said that he backs his skill and plans during tense times of powerplay and death over bowling, where a bowler is more vulnerable to being hit.
“I back myself and keep calm since these situations can make or break the game. I believe that I can execute my plans. My A game comes in front of best batters,” added Tushar.
Tushar revealed that his favourite wicket was that of Andre Russell, who was dismissed for just 10 runs.
“Everyone knows how attacking he is. He could have changed the game by making a difference of 20-25 runs,” concluded Russell.
CSK are in the fourth spot with three wins and two losses, giving them a total of six points. KKR are at the second spot with three wins and a loss, giving them six points. (ANI)