"A great man has come to terms with the facts of life and aging" - Sanjay Manjrekar on MS Dhoni

Sanjay Manjrekar reckons that MS Dhoni has finally come to terms with the new role he needs to play for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He feels that the CSK skipper has accepted “the facts of life”.

Dhoni had opted to send Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja ahead of him on occasions in the first half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 when the scoring needed to be accelerated.

Manjrekar believes that this was a clear sign that we are witnessing more of MS Dhoni the captain, rather than the impact batter that he was at his peak.

“What was noticeable was Mahendra Singh Dhoni himself realizing his limitations as an impact player. He was more in the background. He was more a captain than a batter. Shows that a great man has come to terms with the facts of life and aging as well,” Sanjay Manjrekar said on Instagram (presented by Dafa News).

The former India batter added that CSK realized the problem with an aging squad and blended more youngsters into the side for this season.

“It seemed like the penny finally seemed to have dropped on Mahendra Singh Dhoni," he said. "He realized that aging is a thing he had to respect and you can see a slightly different approach from Chennai.”

However, Manjrekar is still concerned with Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu, who are two pivotal batters in the middle-order for CSK.

“In Raidu and Raina, they have local aging players," he said. "Raina is showing signs of rustiness. Rayudu, towards the end of the last half, showed some signs of form.”

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"This is what Dhoni does, he gets the best out of people" - Sanjay Manjrekar lauds MS Dhoni for using Moeen Ali well

Moeen Ali was a revelation at the top of the order for CSK

Sanjay Manjrekar also commended MS Dhoni’s ability to bring out the best from his players. He lauded the way Moeen Ali was used at the top of the order by Dhoni.

"Moeen Ali was a revelation in the last half with his batting at the top of the order," Manjrekar said. "This is what Dhoni does, he gets the best out of people. He is a talented player, Moeen Ali. He has the ability to hit good balls for fours and sixes."

Manjrekar believes Moeen Ali will play a crucial role for the side along with Faf du Plessis at the top of the order.

“He is going to be a key player at the top of the order along with Faf du Plessis," he said.

CSK will square off against the Mumbai Indians in the opening match of the second half of IPL 2021 on Sunday.