IPL 2021 | MS Dhoni will be remembered as one of the greatest finishers cricket has ever seen, says Ricky Ponting
Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting has hailed MS Dhoni and said that once the 40-year-old retires from all forms of cricket, he will be remembered as one of the best finishers in the game. CSK entered their ninth IPL final after a thrilling finish from Dhoni in the Qualifier 1 vs DC on Sunday.
The three-time champions were cruising towards the 173-run target, thanks to a 110-run stand between Ruturaj Gaikwad (70) and Robin Uthappa (63) for the second wicket. However, the situation intensified after twin strikes from Tom Curran in the 14th over. CSK slipped down further after a brilliant Shreyas Iyer throw sent Ambati Rayudu packing soon after. By the time Gaikwad departed, CSK were in need of 24 runs from 11 balls.
It was at this point that MS Dhoni walked in the middle ahead of in-form Ravindra Jadeja and turned back the clock to score 6-ball 18 not out to hand CSK a four-wicket win wih two balls remaining. Commentators, Dhoni's current and former teammates and fans across the globe went wild watching another vintage MSD finish. In fact, some had tears of joy rolling down their cheeks.
Hailing the former India captain for his heroics at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting minced no words and stated Dhoni was undoubtedly one of the greats of the game. The former Australian captain also pointed out how Dhoni made Avesh Khan, Tom Curran and entire DC squad pay for not executing their plans properly.
"He has been one of the greats, don't think there is any doubt there," said Ponting in the post-match press conference.
"We were sitting in the dugout thinking if it will be (Ravindra) Jadeja or Dhoni coming next, I put my hand up straightaway and said I am pretty sure Dhoni will come out now and try and ice the game.
"We probably didn't execute as well as we needed to him, and you know that if you miss, he is going to make you pay. He has done it for a long time now and I think our bowlers just missed their areas a little bit. I think when he is retired he will be remembered as one of the greatest finishers the game has ever seen," said the two-time World Cup winning captain.
MS Dhoni and CSK will now seen in action IPL 2021 final which will be held on October 15 in Dubai.
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