"He has suddenly resolved the death bowling issues" - Aakash Chopra on CSK skipper MS Dhoni's impressive captaincy heading into IPL 2023 final

Aakash Chopra has highlighted some of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni's tactics that have impressed him the most heading into the IPL 2023 final against the Gujarat Titans (GT).

The title decider of the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League was supposed to be played in Ahmedabad on Sunday, May 28. However, with persistent rain rendering the ground unplayable, the game has been moved to the reserve day (Monday, May 29).

While previewing the rescheduled final in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out some of Dhoni's impressive calls in the tournament. Regarding the CSK skipper's effective utilization of Matheesha Pathirana, he said:

"You look at Matheesha Pathirana. Death bowling was a concern. Now you see him actually bowling in the death overs consistently. So he (Dhoni) has suddenly resolved the death bowling issues."

The former Indian opener highlighted that Dhoni has ensured that Maheesh Theekshana is back among the wickets, explaining:

"The way he has used Maheesh Theekshana. He was not picking that many wickets but suddenly you will find that he is getting him to pick up wickets by bowling him at different-different stages."

Chopra praised Dhoni for his handling of Deepak Chahar's workload after the swing bowler's recovery from his injury, elaborating:

"The way he has prepared Deepak Chahar - earlier bowled him three overs at the start and then nothing, and then three and the 11th or 12th over. Now he is getting him ready for the big finale."

Chopra also appreciated the CSK captain's utilization of Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube interchangeably at No. 3 based on the team's situation.

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"Ajinkya Rahane's stature suddenly grows for the final" - Aakash Chopra on the experienced batter's importance to CSK

Ajinkya Rahane has played a few exhilarating knocks in IPL 2023. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra pointed out that Ajinkya Rahane has a much superior record away from home in IPL 2023, observing:

"Ajinkya Rahane's performances at home have been extremely ordinary but he is brilliant whenever he travels and plays on better pitches. If you talk about this ground, the second-best of his career is at this ground. So Ajinkya Rahane's stature suddenly grows for the final."

The cricketer-turned-commentator expects the Mumbai batter to be a crucial player for CSK in Ahmedabad, reasoning:

"He used to be held back at times when they were playing at home, Shivam Dube was sent ahead of him, but as soon as they go away, he is someone whose chances of doing well suddenly skyrocket. So Ajinkya Rahane is an important player in this contest."

Rahane has amassed 299 runs in 10 innings at an excellent strike rate of 169.88 in IPL 2023. However, he hasn't made a substantial contribution with the bat in CSK's last eight matches and will hope to turn things around in the final.