Legendary CSK wicketkeeper batter MS Dhoni has come under fire for refusing a single to his teammate Daryl Mitchell during IPL 2024 Match 49 between PBKS and CSK on Wednesday, May 01 at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. During the first innings of the game, Dhoni sliced a low full toss from Arshdeep Singh towards deep extra cover in the last over as Mitchell ran for a single. However, he was denied the run by the former CSK skipper and had to make his way back to the non-striker’s end after almost reaching the striker’s end.
Dhoni’s refusal to take a single to his batting partner hasn’t gone down well with some of the fans who are unhappy with the legendary cricketer. Former India cricketer turned commentator Aakash Chopra has also called out Dhoni for his act and said that he wasn’t batting with a tailender and that he chose to keep the strike.
“In the end, Dhoni even refused to take a single. It’s fine but Daryl Mitchell is Daryl Mitchell. You were not batting with Mustafizur, no disrespect, but he refused. He hit a six but the runs were never going to be enough, and that’s exactly how it panned out,” said Chopra on his YouTube channel.
Notably, Dhoni went on to hit a six on the second last ball of the over before finally getting dismissed for the first time in the ongoing season on the last ball of the innings for 14 (11) while Mitchell remained unbeaten on 1.
IPL 2024: Fans slam MS Dhoni
Chopra Highlights CSK’s Slow Starts
Further speaking ahead, Chopra also called out CSK for their slow starts and not utilising the fielding restrictions in the first six overs of the innings.
“You lost the toss here and were invited to bat first. They start slowly. The Chennai Express always starts slowly. They are a locomotive engine that takes time to warm up. They made 50-odd runs in the powerplay. Ajinkya Rahane got out after the powerplay,” he added.
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Coming back to the match, after being put in to bat first, CSK went on to score a modest total of 162/7 with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad once again top scoring with his innings of 62 (48). In reply, Punjab chased down the target in 17.5 overs courtesy of brilliant knocks from Jonny Bairstow (46 off 30) and Rilee Rossouw (43 off 23). Following their loss, CSK find themselves precariously poised on the fourth spot on the points table with ten points from ten matches. The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side will need to win all of their remaining four fixtures for smooth qualification to the playoffs.