Master and protégé sparkled in the CSK-DC clash in Vizag
It was rolling back of the clock. One that went a couple of years back, the other that went a couple of decades back.
A quintessential Rishabh Pant innings was followed by vintage MS Dhoni in Vizag on Sunday. The protégé, coming back to competitive cricket after a horrific accident in December 2022, showed his wares first, then the master turned it on and made everyone stand up and yearn for more.
Dhoni's powerful hits to the boundary ropes, and beyond it, were reminiscent of the time he went berserk against bowlers soon after he had made his international debut.
His flowing golden mane peering out of the helmet added to the trip down the memory lane. His fans had spent two matches in this year's IPL without getting to see him wield the willow. They were eagerly waiting for those timeless MSD sixes.
Dhoni hit three of them on Sunday, one with a single hand that landed in the second tier beyond the mid-wicket fence. There were four bludgeoned boundaries too. Sixteen balls, twenty-two minutes at the crease, yielded 37 runs and made the fans present at the stadium and those watching on TV delirious.
Dhoni's 'box-office' effect makes spectators, pundits, former cricketers question why he doesn't come early and bats so low down the order. On Sunday, he batted at No. 8.
Ex-Australia captain Michael Clarke thinks Dhoni is prepping for bigger challenges ahead.
"Every MS Dhoni fan wants to see him as high up the order as possible. We've all said he should open the batting. I think if there's a game on the line and he needs to go up the order because it's what's best for the team, I'm sure he will," Clarke said.
Maybe Dhoni will bat higher up when the situation arises, but Pant did bat two rungs above his normal batting position on Sunday. Coming at No. 3, Pant put to rest concerns regarding his ability to bat like the days of yore.
A slog-swept six over mid-wicket got him going on the night. But what grabbed eyeballs was how he handled the sling-shot Matheesha Pathirana who hit the timber twice with two thunderbolt yorkers.
Pathirana tried his slinging, high-on-pace yorkers to Pant, but those were dispatched over the long-on boundary and sliced towards the cover point fence. .
Pant looks fit as a fiddle post his "inspirational" comeback which has the cricketing world all gushing.
"To think that Rishabh did this after the injuries that he sustained is unbelievable," former Australian allrounder Shane Watson said.
"You're not a true human being if you're not inspired by Rishabh Pant, the way he was able to come out and turn it on like that. It took him a little while to find his feet but once he let those shackles off, he played some 'Rishabh Pant' shots, and they were extraordinary."
1/10:IPL 2024: Delhi Capitals down Chennai Super Kings
PTI
2/10:Rishabh Pant
<p>Rishabh Pant led Delhi Capitals with his first IPL fifty since his comeback from a car crash, guiding them to a 20-run victory over Chennai Super Kings.<br /></p>PTI
3/10:Prithvi Shaw and David Warner
<p>Warner and Prithvi Shaw's opening partnership of 93 set the stage for Delhi before Chennai's bowlers fought back, including Matheesha Pathirana's two strikes in an over.<br /></p>PTI
4/10:David Warner
<p>David Warner's 52 coupled with Captain Pant's 51 off 32 balls, propelled Delhi to 191-5 in Visakhapatnam, their adopted homeground due to the upcoming general elections.<br /></p>PTI
5/10:Matheesha Pathirana
<p>Pathirana, nicknamed "Baby Malinga" for his slinging action and trademark yorkers reminiscent of the former Sri Lankan pace ace Lasith Malinga, finished with figures of 3-31.<br /></p>ANI
6/10:Khaleel Ahmed
<p>Khaleel Ahmed claimed the wickets of CSK openers and returned with bowling figures of 2-21 and was named the Man of the Match.</p>PTI
7/10:Ajinkya Rahane and Daryl Mitchell
<p>Ajinkya Rahane (45) and Daryl Mitchell (34) stitched together a 68-run partnership in their bid to revive the chase. However, after their dismissals, wickets tumbled in quick succession.<br /></p>PTI
8/10:MS Dhoni
<p>In Visakhapatnam, the crowd largely supported CSK, chanting "Dhoni, Dhoni". The former skipper responded with an unbeaten 37 off 16 balls, featuring four fours and three sixes.<br /></p>PTI
9/10:Mukesh Kumar
<p>In his spell of 3 overs, Mukesh Kumar claimed 3 wickets while conceding 21 runs.<br /></p>PTI
