𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨!

 

By Rahul Dixit

(The Hitavada)

Only a fool with zilch experience would have a firm opinion on Chennai Super Kings’ chances when engaged in a pitched battle. They are never out of any contest till the last ball of the day is bowled. No matter the elements, no matter the uphill task, no matter the heavy odds, no matter the conditions, no matter the personnel, there is always, always, always a last throw of the dice left when Chennai Super Kings are on the field. Ask Mohit Sharma, or talk to Hardik Pandya what it means to be an opponent of the Men in Yellow and they would readily point towards the heaven, for the unpredictability the Chennai team bring to the occasion. The Gujarat Titans duo would talk of the first-hand experience of a great heist that happened right under their nose in the dead of the Ahmedabad night. And all they could do is to look towards the cloudy sky and wonder, how could CSK plot such great escapes from nowhere?!

The fifth Indian Premier League (IPL) title for Chennai Super Kings in the gigantic Narendra Modi Stadium was another spectacular escape in the history of the league, engineered by a bunch of cricketers who pick ounces of positive energy from their maverick captain. They rose like a team possessed, for their great captain. They did the unthinkable to stun the Gujarat Titans with a last-ball victory. They yet again made a statement to the cricketing world that anything and everything is possible under the colossus called Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The golden heist in Ahmedabad was as much CSK’s moment as it was their captain’s glorious outing, perhaps for the last time with the Yellow Brigade.

The onslaught on the last two balls by Ravindra Jadeja bore the stamp of the CSK thinking. It came from nowhere. Just like the tricks that pop up from the shrewd brain of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The six and a four held the entire story of the CSK campaign. Both the strokes came with a ‘shock’ element, stunning the entire punditry and pinching victory from Gujarat’s pocket. This is how CSK have made their place immortal in the league. This is how Mahendra Singh Dhoni has built a dream by instilling deep faith in fringe players.

The heartstopping victory was all about great leadership that Dhoni has displayed yet another season. The man might have retired from international duties but his work is not done yet. The fifth IPL title is another reminder to the BCCI top honchos -- keep MS Dhoni in the scheme of things for scripting more such great escapes.