IPL 2022: Gavaskar pins CSK’s failed run chase vs Punjab Kings on MS Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings lost their third consecutive game in IPL 2022 and are ninth on the table with no points in their kitty. The defending champions’ latest loss came against the Punjab Kings on Sunday. 

Also read: IPL: CSK captain Jadeja explains Dhoni setting the field vs LSG

Against Mayank Agarwal and company, CSK failed to chase 181 runs and lost by 54 runs. After being reduced to 36-5 in eight overs, Jadeja’s men looked in trouble. However, former skipper MS Dhoni and all-rounder Shivam Dube then stitched a 52-run stand to take the team close to 100 runs. However, the latter was dismissed when he tried to slog Liam Livingstone. He scored 57 runs off 30 balls with the help of six boundaries and three maximums. 

Also read: Livingstone smashes CSK’s Choudhary for monstorous 108 m hit | Watch

After the partnership broke, CSK wickets fell like dominoes and the four-time champions were dismissed at 126 runs. 

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said that the team failed to chase the target because MS Dhoni was not able to rotate the strike. 

“With MSD, what you see is that even if he doesn’t start hitting the big ones, he is moving the strike along, getting those ones and twos. He wasn’t quite able to do that this time around. That’s where CSK got stuck just that little bit,” Gavaskar told Star Sports after CSK’s loss.

Also read: 40-year old young Dhoni sprints, dives to run out Rajapaksa | Watch

He further continued that Dube would have had more opportunities if Dhoni gave him the strike. 

“If they had a situation where Shivam Dube was hitting the ball so well, they needed to get a move on along with him. That didn’t quite happen. Look at those some of those dot balls that he played, yes, later on, he made up with the boundaries. When you are looking to score 20 runs an over, that’s tough for the best of players, it’s not easy,” he added.

Also read: IPL 2022: Hardik Pandya credits Lockie Ferguson for win over Delhi Capitals

MSD is having a memorable IPL 2022. The 40-year-old scored a 38-ball half-century in the first match and then smashed 16 runs in six deliveries in the next. Against Punjab, he managed to affect an unreal stumping to dismiss Rajapaksha. He scored 23 runs off 28 balls.