Watching MS Dhoni sit on the boundaries when they need sixes, I was like, ‘can someone get out? : Shaun Tait

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) suffered a 32-run defeat against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their return fixture in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Friday, April 27. MS Dhoni-led side dropped to third place while RR climbed to the top spot on the points table.

Former Australia cricketer Shaun Tait was left bemused with CSK skipper Dhoni not batting at all in the game. He stated that he wanted Dhoni to take charge during the game so that CSK could have had a chance to chase down the target. 

“Watching MS (Dhoni) sit on the boundaries when they need sixes… I was like, ‘can someone get out?’” Tait told ESPNCricinfo following the game.

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta also agreed with Tait’s comments. He stated that Dhoni’s presence instills nervousness among bowlers.

“There’s this fear factor when MS is batting. No matter whether he’s (on) 40 or 50, no matter how good a bowler you are, you’d still be thinking, ‘it’s MS who’s batting there’,” Gupta said.

RR beat CSK by 32 runs to climb to top of the points table

Coming to the match, RR set a 203-run target for the visitors after winning the toss and batting first. The four-time IPL champions, however, failed to chase down the target, thanks to a dedicated effort from RR bowlers. CSK batters struggled with the bat from the start, but Shivam Dube’s (52 off 33) late cameo provided some hope for CSK. For RR, Adam Zampa claimed a three-wicket haul while Ravichandran Ashwin grabbed two, and Kuldip Yadav scalped one as CSK were restricted to 170/6 in 20 overs.

Earlier, RR opener Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a fiery half-century as RR put on a massive 202/5 in 20 overs. He scored a match-winning 77 off 43 balls and emerged as the Player of the Match. For CSK, Tushar Deshpande struck twice, while Ravindra Jadeja and Maheesh Theekshana scalped one each.