"He has still got it, that's what he said" - Aakash Chopra lauds MS Dhoni's cameo in CSK's IPL 2024 loss to DC

Aakash Chopra has noted that MS Dhoni proved that he is still at his destructive best in the Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) IPL 2024 loss against the Delhi Capitals (DC).

The Capitals set CSK a 192-run target after opting to bat first in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, March 31. Although Dhoni smoked an unbeaten 37 off 16 deliveries in the run chase, the five-time champions lost the game by 20 runs.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra noted that Dhoni's explosive knock garnered more attention than DC's win.

"Mahi is cool. It was full money's worth. He is not a player but an emotion, there is something special in him. Mahi was hitting, Mahi is hitting, and it seems like Mahi will keep hitting. Delhi - more than your win, the talk is about Chennai's loss, because MS Dhoni rewound the clock," he said (0:01).

"He turned back the pages of history. He showed that whether a win was possible or not, the emotions in the heart are the same, and the love is still alive because he has still got it, that's what he said," the former India opener added.

Dhoni walked out to bat when CSK were reduced to 120/6 after 16.1 overs. He dominated an unbroken 51-run seventh-wicket partnership with Ravindra Jadeja (21* off 17) but couldn't take his team over the line.

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"You couldn't have won the match" - Aakash Chopra on the game situation when MS Dhoni came to bat

MS Dhoni struck four fours and three sixes during his innings. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra noted that the match was virtually beyond CSK's reach when MS Dhoni joined Ravindra Jadeja in the middle.

"Let's be fair, the match had already gone when Shivam Dube, Daryl Mitchell, and Ajinkya Rahane had gotten out. You couldn't have won the match. However, so what if you couldn't have won the match, you could have won hearts at least, and MS Dhoni showed that by doing it," he observed (18:25).

The reputed commentator noted that the former CSK skipper put paid to the DC bowlers' plans.

"What shots he played - firstly a pull off the first ball. This innings should be watched after putting it in a loop because he completely rewound the clock, that's how he used to do it earlier. The bowlers started bowling wide so that they wouldn't get hit for a six with a helicopter shot. He said that it wouldn't matter as he would hit over cover," Chopra explained.

Chopra pointed out that Dhoni was facing potent bowlers like Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, and Anrich Nortje after being away from competitive cricket for 10 months.

He added that the veteran wicketkeeper-batter refused singles and ensured that the spectators got their money's worth, especially when he took Nortje to the cleaners in the final over.