Was surprised to see MS Dhoni walking out to chat with umpires, admits Mitchell Santner

Was surprised to see MS Dhoni walking out to chat with umpires, admits Mitchell Santner

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MS Dhoni during the 2019 season of the IPL

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IPL

Mitchell Santner has revealed that he was as surprised as everyone to see CSK skipper MS Dhoni walking out to the middle to have a quick word with the umpire regarding a no-ball decision. However, he was quick to add that the CSK skipper apologized for his actions, which shows his passion.

Ice-cold, calm and probably one of the best captains around the world is the aura that is associated with CSK’s skipper MS Dhoni. After leading the side to two IPL titles and several playoffs later, the right-handed batsman was seen showing his anger for the first time. The controversy kick-started the 2019 IPL, at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium when umpire Ulhas Gandhe signalled a no-ball. 

Following that decision, the square-leg umpire Bruce Oxenford took a final decision that it was not a no-ball, leading to heated discussion in the middle between the umpires and Ravindra Jadeja. However, it did not stop there, with CSK’s skipper Dhoni walking out to the middle to have a chat with the umpire. Watching it all unfurl from the other end, Mitchell Santner admitted that he was surprised to see the 39-year-old walking out. 

"I was probably as surprised as everyone. He (Dhoni) is so calm. But I think that shows you how committed he is to the team and how much of a family it is to him and how much it means to him to do something like that. It wasn't anger, it was just one of the umpires just stuck his hand out and you can't be going back," Santner told Rupha Ramani on CSK’s Instagram live. 

In the end, CSK came up with a last-minute snatch against the Royals, with the southpaw Santner scoring the winning runs for his franchise against England’s Ben Stokes. With the win, CSK managed to find themselves in yet another final that season, albeit it ending in a one-run loss against rivals, Mumbai Indians. 

"I guess, to end up winning it was a good thing. If we had lost it, there would have been more anger flowing around. It kind of shows you how it brought everyone together. We went on to win a few after that,” he added. 

“A little bit (talk after the game). I was out there. I obviously saw him out there. He was right next to the umpire. Obviously he knew he was not allowed to do that. He apologized straightaway. It might have flustered Stokes and gave me a good ball to hit. I am happy.”

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