The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) suffered their second consecutive defeat, losing to the Rajasthan Royals by 6 runs. In a conversation with Cricbuzz, former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag criticized CSK's chasing strategy.
Sehwag highlighted the difficulties of chasing down a target, particularly noting that scoring 40 runs in the last 2 overs is an overwhelming task. He emphasized that regardless of the batting strength, achieving such a target is incredibly challenging. He mentioned that while a player may succeed once or twice in such situations, it is not a reliable strategy.
Scoring 40 many runs in 2 overs is a difficult task. No matter how big of a player is in the middle, it is a difficult job. You win on one or two occasions and that is about it. I remember Dhoni pulled off a heist when he hit 24 or 25 runs off the bowling of Axar Patel and on one instance, he smashed Irfan Pathan for 19 or 20 runs in Dharamsala," Sehwag said while speaking on Cricbuzz.
He also pointed out that MS Dhoni may not be performing at his peak ability to finish matches, questioning the last time Dhoni successfully led his team to victory in similar circumstances. However, Sehwag reminisced about Dhoni's historic achievements, recalling instances where he scored 24 or 25 runs off Axar Patel and 19 or 20 runs off Irfan Pathan in Dharamsala.
CSK's recent struggles have raised concerns, as they have lost two games in a row while chasing scores of over 180. Since 2019, CSK has yet to successfully chase down a total exceeding 180 in the tournament, which has led to increasing scrutiny of their chasing strategy.
Recently, Shane Watson also questioned Dhoni's position in the batting order, asking why he was coming in at number 9 with a high asking rate. To address this, CSK’s head coach clarified in the post-match press conference that Dhoni's batting position is influenced by fitness issues and outlined his plans for the veteran player.
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