Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly heaped praise on MS Dhoni after Chennai Super Kings qualified for the IPL final with a 15-run win against reigning champions Gujarat Titans at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Tuesday.
Dhoni has been leading his team from the front and the veteran is once again getting the best out of the young players. The wicket-keeper bat has got the best out of players like Ajinkya Rahane, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube and Matheesha Pathirana and all four of them have played a key role in the success of the team.
Moreover, CSK has been given solid starts at the top of the order by Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad. In fact, it is well known that Dhoni is a master when his spinners are getting help from the surface and they were able to make the most of their own conditions at the Chepauk with Ravindra Jadeja and Maheesh Theekshana taking two wickets apiece.
Dhoni has all the leadership experience under his belt and he is well known to keep his calm in the crunch situations of the game to get the best out of his bowlers. CSK had won eight out of their 14 matches in the league stage to finish in second place in the standings and then dominated GT in the first qualifier.
Dhoni has scored 104 runs in 11 innings at an average of 34.67 and a whirlwind strike rate of 185.71 and ergo added the finishing touches for the team.
Speaking to India Today, the 50-year-old Ganguly said: “Chennai Super Kings and MS Dhoni have been fantastic. They have shown how to win big matches. Dhoni has been remarkable in his captaincy. He has shown how to win big matches.”
On the other hand, the former Indian captain shed light on the performance of young players like Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Dhruv Jurel, who have all impressed with their performances.
“Rinku Singh has played well, Dhruv Jurel has played well and Yashasvi Jaiswal also did well,” Ganguly said. “Jitesh ( Sharma) played well for Punjab Kings. Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma have played well. The IPL is a huge Tournament and they have done exceptionally well.”
Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings will either face Gujarat Titans or Mumbai Indians in the final of IPL 2023.
