Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was all praise for his fast bowlers Mukesh Choudhary and Simarjeet Singh. The duo put on a brilliant effort at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday against the Mumbai Indians.

The Chennai Super Kings could manage only 97 runs before getting bowled out in the first innings. Defending a paltry score, Mukesh and Simarjeet got the team off to a fantastic start, trying to keep the Chennai Super Kings in the game. The Mumbai Indians were reduced to 33/4, within five overs, and pushed onto the backfoot.

Mukesh and Simarjeet bowled their quota of fours in one go, as a couple of more wickets would have put them in the driver’s seat. The duo’s bowling performance was lauded by the fans and the experts. Their talent and effort are a testimony to India’s fast-bowling bench strength.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, MS Dhoni credited the IPL platform for the emergence of the fast-bowling brigade in India. He said:

“It’s good to have them – we have gone through periods where we’ve never had a real extraordinary bench strength of fast-bowlers. Also, they take time to mature. If you’re lucky you get someone who in six months’ time can feature in all three formats. That’s what the IPL does – it gives opportunities.”

“A lot of them have become slightly more courageous and want to take the opposition head-on. As they play more games, they get more and more confident and they execute their plans better,” he added.

 

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Don’t think that’s enough irrespective of how the wicket is – MS Dhoni on CSK’s 97 runs target

Despite brilliant performances from Mukesh Choudhary and Simarjeet Singh, the Chennai Super Kings were unable to defend 97 runs. Tilak Verma held the fort for the Mumbai Indians and took them to victory. He remained unbeaten on 34 runs off 32 balls, including four boundaries.

Earlier in the match, the Chennai Super Kings batters put on a disastrous show. Expect Dhoni, none of the others managed a substantial score. With this loss, the Chennai Super Kings are out of the qualification race for the playoffs. Skipper MS Dhoni expressed that irrespective of the conditions on offer, 97 is not enough on any wicket.

“I don’t think that’s enough irrespective of how the wicket is. Anything below 130 is difficult to defend but what I asked the bowlers to do was show a lot of character, put the opposition under pressure and forget about the result. I thought both the fast bowlers did really well. I think a game like this really helps them. Irrespective of how we start we need to have the same attitude and that’s what you need in the shorter formats,” said MS Dhoni.