WATCH: MS Dhoni's drop catch provides a lifeline to Andre Russell

MS Dhoni dropped a relatively easy catch of Andre Russell on the fourth delivery of the 18th over off Mustafizur Rahman.
 By Darpan Jain Apr 8, 2024, 22:05 IST
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Had MS Dhoni reacted early, he could have gone with both hands for the catch and completed it.

MS Dhoni dropped a relatively easy catch of Andre Russell on the fourth delivery of the 18th over off Mustafizur Rahman. It was catchable from the high standards Dhoni had set for himself over the years, but he ended up missing it this time.

After winning the toss, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opted to field first on a slow and gripping track of Chennai. The decision turned out to be a correct one, as the CSK spinners and pacers bowled according to the surface and agitated the KKR batters severely throughout the innings.

Ravindra Jadeja bowled a magical spell in helpful conditions, while Tushar Deshpande and Mustafizur Rahman were also among the wickets in the first innings. Mustafizur’s slower ones and cutters were mighty effective on that Chepauk deck, making him lethal and arduous to play.

Also Read: Shane Watson shares a hilarious anecdote about MS Dhoni's spat with the umpires

While the batters tried to play their shots with force, the ball wasn’t coming on nicely on the bat, making boundaries difficult to come by. Clearly, KKR batters were not completely ready for playing on such a deck after coming from batting on true batting surfaces in their previous game of the season.

MS Dhoni drops an easy catch to give a lifeline to Andre Russell

Mustafizur Rahman, who was fabulous with his variations, bowled an off-cutter, to which Andre Russell tried to swing powerfully but could only get a thick outside edge. The ball flew slightly away from Dhoni, who looked unprepared and reacted late to the catch.

He went with his right hand, stretching it towards the ball, but couldn’t grab it cleanly. The ball hit his gloves and went down in a flash, giving a lifeline to Andre Russell.

Had MS Dhoni reacted early, he could have gone with both hands for the catch and completed it. He was slightly lazy, which is uncharacteristic of Dhoni, but Andre Russell departed a few balls later, causing no serious damage.

MS Dhoni also missed a run out on the final delivery of the innings when his underarm throw didn’t hit the stumps, and the batters stole a bye. MS would be furious with his efforts, given he is generally safe behind the wickets.

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