MSD smashes 16 off 17 needed in final over from Unadkat to take CSK home and makes sure MI stay winless
NAVI MUMBAI: Old habits die hard and if you are MS Dhoni, they never die. One of the greatest finishers in the white ball game for his game-sense and striking ability showed once again what he is made of just when the game looked done and dusted to deny Mumbai Indians again and take Chennai Super Kings home in a low-scoring thriller at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Thursday.
Chasing 156 for victory, CSK needed 17 off the final over bowled by Jaydev Unadkat. The left-arm-seamer from Saurashtra had bowled a good spell to complement Daniel Sams who was outstanding with 4 for 30.
But he had in front of him Dhoni, who has a strike rate of over 200 against him. After Unadkat dismissed Dwaine Pretorius lbw off the first ball, Bravo got a single and watched the Dhoni special unfold from the non-striker's end.
He smashed the third ball for a six over long-off to make ten needed off three. The next ball a bouncer was hooked over short fine leg for a boundary. Six needed off two. The next ball was drilled to mid-wicket and Dhoni ran two.
The last ball, a leg-stump yorker was whipped past short fine leg for a four to seal the win in dramatic style.
Earlier, playing at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday evening - their first clash since the 2010 final - CSK won the toss and typically - as has been the trend this tournament - put MI to bat first. Not on a single occasion in this tournament yet has a team after winning the toss decided to bat first.
1/10:Chennai beat Mumbai
<p>Mahendra Singh Dhoni rolled back the years on Thursday with 16 runs off the last four balls of Chennai Super Kings' successful chase over Mumbai Indians who are languishing at the bottom of IPL points table. (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>
2/10:Dhoni rolls back the years
<p>Dhoni remained unbeaten with 28 off 13 balls, with three fours and a six, against Mumbai who scored 155-7 after Chennai skipper Ravindra Jadeja won the toss and asked them to bat first. (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>
3/10:Mumbai openers
<p>Chennai dismissed both Mumbai openers, Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, on zero in the very first over by rookie left-arm pacer Mukesh Choudhary.(BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
4/10:Mukesh Choudhary
<p>Mukesh Choudhary bowled three overs and took three wickets, including explosive South African teenager, Dewald Brevis (4), for 19 runs. (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>
5/10:Mumbai innings
<p>Mumbai innings was stabilised by Suryakumar Yadav (32) and Tilak Varma (51*) and Hrithik Shokeen (25). (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>
6/10:Tilak Varma
<p>Tilak Varma held the Mumbai innings and was helped by cameos by Kieron Pollard (14) and Jaydev Unadkat (19*). (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>
7/10:Ruturaj Gaikwad
<p>Chennai had a bad start and lost their in-form opener Ruturaj Gaikwad on the first ball of their innings for a duck to Daniel Sams.(BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
8/10:Daniel Sams
<p>Daniel Sams took key Chennai middle-order wickets to make a match of Mumbai's below-par target of 156 to win. (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>
9/10:Jaydev Unadkat
<p>Robin Uthappa (30) fell to Jaydev Unadkat, who also took Dwaine Pretorius after he hit crucial 22 off 14 balls. (BCCI/IPL/ANI Photo)</p>
10/10:Vintage Dhoni
<p>Unadkat gave away 48 runs in his four over spell and bowled the all important last over of the Chennai chase and was hit all over the park by vintage Dhoni. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>Mumbai Indians stood shaken by medium pacer Mukesh Choudhary's early incision and eventually struggled to 155-7. The dismissals though were absolutely poor ones.
Captain Rohit Sharma's miserable run so far in the tournament continued, this time with yet another shocker of a dismissal - for the nonchalance it reflected - when he doled out a length ball to mid-on. It was the 14th time he was dismissed for a duck in the IPL, the most by any player.
The dismissal gave bowler Choudhary just the kind of confidence he was looking for because two deliveries later, it was more or less a half-volley that got him the wicket of Ishan Kishan.
Mumbai rode on the young Tilak Varma's half-century to get where they did. His 51 gave MI a reason to believe they had a chance in the game after the evening had begun on a horrible note - 0-1, 2-2, 3-23 and 4-47.
Young Hrithik Shokeen got his first opportunity of the season and it wasn't under the most comfortable circumstances. In that, to get a run-a-ball 25 was commendable.
