NEW DELHI: In Chennai Super Kings‘ impressive 63-run victory over the Gujarat Titans in the
IPL 2024
,
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
left spectators awestruck with an extraordinary diving catch of
Vijay Shankar
. The catch was so remarkable that former India wicketkeeper-batter
Parthiv Patel
likened Dhoni’s agility to his younger self, suggesting that the 22-year-old version of Dhoni was back on the field.
The electrifying moment occurred at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, where the home crowd erupted in jubilation as Dhoni exhibited his lightning-quick reflexes to pouch Shankar’s wicket off all-rounder Daryl Mitchell’s delivery. According to the host broadcasters, Dhoni stretched an impressive distance of 2.27 meters to complete the sensational catch, further cementing his reputation as one of the finest wicketkeepers in cricket history.
“I have never seen him practice wicketkeeping. The one important thing we can see here is the distance that he covered. A lot of wicketkeepers have an initial movement where they usually go towards the leg side, but MS Dhoni consistently dives in the same direction and can cover two meters of distance. It looked like we were watching a 22-year-old Dhoni again.”
“You have to praise him. A lot of young wicketkeepers should learn this technical point. When you use one leg to move to the leg side, you can’t cover the distance on the off-side. Dhoni’s anticipation is always correct, which allows him to cover the distance well, and very few times do we see that he needs to dive for the ball, because his anticipation is so good, and he covers the distance,” said Parthiv on Match Centre Live show on JioCinema.
In the Tamil commentary feed, former India batter Abhinav Mukund, who had the privilege of playing under Dhoni’s guidance at CSK, was astonished witnessing Dhoni’s lightning-fast reaction to pull off the catch in less than a second. Mukund exclaimed, “The Chepauk crowd on its feet! A flying tiger, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, ahaa! A 42-year-old man leaping like a lion to take a brilliant catch, MS Dhoni! Mitchell has taken the breakthrough, Vijay Shankar is out now, 52-3.” The exuberance in Mukund’s voice mirrored the astonishment and admiration of the fans witnessing Dhoni’s exceptional athleticism on the field.
His colleague in the commentary box, Ashwath Bobo, was quick to bring out a reference from Rajinikanth’s 2023 Tamil movie, ‘Jailer’ in relation to Dhoni taking that catch. “OUT! Hukum, MSD ka Hukum. I swear he isn’t finished yet. This is MS Dhoni, don’t mess with him. What a diving catch! They just got in Daryl Mitchell, and it was a slight edge and a wonderful catch.”
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Parthiv also lauded the veteran
Ajinkya Rahane
for his excellent acrobatic catch of David Miller, as CSK moved closer to sealing a victory. Rahane’s athleticism and skill were on full display as he contributed to the team’s commanding performance in the match. “It was a remarkable catch. When you’re fielding in the deep, the hardest catches come when you have to dive forward. We’ve already seen the amazing catches Rahane is capable of taking.”
“If we talk about an all-round fielder, it’s him. We’ve seen him pick up great catches in the slips for India before. Today, he stood in a difficult spot, deep mid-wicket, which is David Miller’s hitting zone, and he picked up a wonderful catch.”
AB de Villiers went on to credit CSK for Shivam Dube’s good run in the tournament, as seen from a stunning knock of 51 and recalled how the all-rounder has made a turnaround from being edgy in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru dressing room, from where he began his IPL career.
“It’s fantastic to see Shivam like this. He never really broke free in the RCB changing room. He was quite a shy guy, worked really hard, and asked a lot of questions back in the day. I think he did a bit of learning there but never felt comfortable.”
“He talks about being free in CSK, and that is the magic recipe that MSD, Gaikwad,
Stephen Fleming
, and all the guys from the past have set up over there. It’s a workhorse of a franchise that just makes it work every time, every single season, with new players who feel free to express themselves.”
(With IANS inputs)