‘The moment first ball was bowled in second innings’ – MS Dhoni explains why CSK’s total was subpar against KKR

Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni accepted the fact that his decision to bat first after winning the toss against Kolkata Knight Riders backfired as the hosts were handed over a 6-wicket defeat in match number 61 of the IPL 2023. After winning the toss, MS Dhoni decided to bat first but CSK were only able to post a below-par total of 144/6 in their allocated 20 overs.

In reply, despite the early strikes, KKR were able to chase down the target of 145 with nine balls to spare riding on the back of determined innings from Nitish Rana (57) and Rinku Singh (54). After the match, MS Dhoni confronted that as soon as the first ball was bowled in the second innings, he knew that they were short on runs. He also added that there was a lot on offer for the spinners in the first innings as compared to the second innings.

“I think it’s one of those where you win the toss and you back the moment the first ball was bowled in the second innings and you realize it’s a 180 wicket. And batting for us on that wicket, I don’t think we could have got anywhere close to 180. So, I felt that you made a big difference in the top three if you compare the cost savings to the second image,” the veteran said after the match.

The former Indian captain also explained that when there is no certainty about the dew then, decision-making becomes slightly complicated. He also backed his players and said that the conditions had a bigger impact on the game and one can’t blame the batters or the bowlers for it.

Shivam Dube and Deepak Chahar were the stars of the night for CSK

After electing to bat first, the four-time IPL champions were reeling at one stage with the scoreboard showing 72/5 and it all looked doomed for CSK, but then Dube combined with Ravindra Jadeja well to stitch a valuable partnership of 68 runs. Dube provided stability to innings just as he has done on many other occasions in this tournament.

After posting a below-par total, it was very much essential for CSK to start good with the bowl and Deepak Chahar did exactly that. The 30-year-old swung the ball in both directions picking up the wicket of Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the first over itself. Chahar took three wickets inside the batting powerplay to pretty much compensate for the low total scored.