Dhoni's age-defying dive to dismiss Vijay Shankar during CSK vs GT as Sunil Gavaskar goes berserk with 'The man' remark
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MS Dhoni may not have gotten the opportunity to bat yet in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) where Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have batted for two innings so far, leaving fans anxious, both at the venues and those glued to their TV and live-streaming sets, but the former CSK captain did enthral the Chepauk crowd on Tuesday with a sensational catch that even left Sunil Gavaskar dumfounded. Dhoni took the catch during CSK's second match in IPL 2024 against Gujarat Titans at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
It happened during the eighth over of Gujarat's chase to 207 when Daryl Mitchell, whose mere introduction into the attack in that over left commentators questioning Ruturaj Gaikwad's tactic. In the third ball of the over, Mitchell dished out a fuller delivery outside off as Vijay Shankar looked to drive it through cover, but ended up getting a thick outside edge. (CSK vs GT IPL Highlights 2024)
The 42-year-old Dhoni made no mistake behind the stumps as he made a full-length dive and picked up the catch with both hands, thus inflicting a third dismissal for Gujarat, who only managed 56 runs by then. Dhoni's effort left Gavaskar go berserk on air as he exclaimed saying “The man!”
While it was more of a regulation catch for Dhoni, what made it stunning was that the CSK legend made the diving effort despite having recovered from his knee injury only a few months back.
Throughout IPL 2023, Dhoni had visibly struggled with his knee, which was evident from his running between the wickets and him wearing a kneecap after every match. Shortly after the tournament final on May 29, where CSK lifted their record-equalling fifth IPL title, Dhoni underwent surgery on his knee and utilised the remainder of the year to recover from it in a bid to appear for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2024.
Earlier in the match, stellar batting efforts from captain Gaikwad, fellow opener Rachin Ravindra and middle-order batter Shivam Dube saw Chennai finish with 206 for six. It was the third 200-plus total in the ongoing IPL 2024 season.
The target proved to be a lot for GT who never looked to be chasing it down, especially after losing captain Shubam Gill and his opening partner Wriddhiman Saha early. CSK restricted GT 143/8 to win the match by 63 runs to go on top of the table with two wins in two games.