"There was only one guy who was sitting silently" - Salman Butt on MS Dhoni controlling his emotion during IPL 2023 final

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt reckons that MS Dhoni's ability to control his emotions in crunch situations sets him apart from the rest.

He pointed out how the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper remained calm even when the team needed four runs off the final ball in the IPL 2023 final against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Monday (May 29).

Butt also recalled how Dhoni was very composed after running out Mustafizur Rahman to help India eke out a thrilling one-run win over Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup in 2016.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, he explained:

"When we talk about MS Dhoni, there was a World Cup match between India and Bangladesh a few years ago that went down all the way to the last ball. Hardik Pandya was bowling, and when he was running in, Dhoni had removed one glove and tucked it in his trousers. The plan was to bowl it outside the off stump, as the batter didn't have a long reach. He collected the ball and sprinted towards the stumps.

"He beat the batter with his sprint and ran him out. After that when the whole team was jumping in the air, he stood there calmly. We saw something similar in the IPL final as well. Everyone was nervous ahead of the last ball. There was only one guy who was sitting silently. It is not like he doesn't have any feelings but he is capable of controlling his emotions."

CSK required 10 runs off the last two balls to emerge victorious over GT in the summit clash. Ravindra Jadeja showcased tremendous composure under pressure, hitting a six and four off Mohit Sharma's bowling to take his team to a famous win.

Chennai chased down the revised target of 171 in the rain-hit encounter to complete a stunning five-wicket victory (via DLS method) to take home the silverware.

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"The turning point of the match" - Salman Butt on MS Dhoni sending back Shubman Gill with his quick glovework

Salman Butt went on to state that MS Dhoni made a significant impact with his keeping in the IPL 2023 final, inflicting a fantastic stumping to dismiss the in-form Shubman Gill. He noted that Chennai's fielding was quite sloppy in the match, with Gill getting two lives, thanks to dropped catches.

The former cricketer emphasized that it was Dhoni who tilted the pendulum in favor of his team with his lightning-fast stumping, adding:

"The turning point of the match was Shubman Gill's stumping. CSK powered their way back into the game, thanks to that stumping that took less than a second. That came at a time when the other players were struggling with fielding. Gill got two chances but it was the 41-year-old captain (MS Dhoni) who stumped him in a flash."

Gill threatened to take the game away from CSK, scoring 39 runs off just 19 deliveries. However, he had to walk back in the seventh over of the Gujarat innings after Dhoni dislodged the bails in just 0.12 seconds to stump the opener.