- Shamser Khalid
Jadeja Hopes to Win as Gift for MS Dhoni's 200th Match
Ravindra Jadeja, the star all-rounder of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), wants to win the Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) as a gift for his captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. It is Dhoni's 200th match as captain of the team.
Jadeja said, "What can I say, he is a legend of Indian cricket. So, I would like to wish him good luck. Hopefully, in his 200th game, we will win in Chepauk, and all the fans will be happy so that we continue the momentum. Hopefully, we win tomorrow, and we give him a gift on his 200th (IPL) match as captain."
Dhoni's IPL History
Dhoni is the most consistent skipper in IPL history, having led CSK to four IPL titles and finishing as runners-up on five occasions. He has also led CSK to the final four stages of the tournament in 11 out of 13 editions of the league. Dhoni has captained on 213 occasions in IPL, out of which he has won 125 matches, lost 87, and one match failed to produce a result.
Dhoni is also a highly-accomplished batter in IPL, having scored 5,004 runs in league history at an average of 39.09 and a strike rate of over 135. He has scored 24 half-centuries in his IPL career, with a best of 84*.
This occasion will be no doubt special for Dhoni, who is most likely playing his last IPL season, currently at 41 years of age. His side has enough star power to make this occasion a memorable one for the Indian legend with their performances.
Jadeja's Thoughts on Team and Future
Player-wise, CSK, and RR have quality spinners in their line-ups, which Jadeja believes will make it a good battle. He also emphasized the importance of applying themselves as a batting unit and picking gaps to hit boundaries.
Jadeja also highlighted the need for their bowlers to stick to the right line and length. CSK have Mitchell Santner and Jadeja in their spin department, while Royals boast of Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal in their ranks.
Jadeja was asked what he thought would be a safe total, to which he replied that nowadays nothing is safe. The team needs to be very disciplined and read the conditions well.
CSK has faced some injury issues with Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, and Deepak Chahar. Jadeja said that Ali would be fine in a day or two, but he was not sure about Chahar's injury. As for Stokes, Jadeja felt he would be fine in 4-5 days.
Jadeja also mentioned that the team is coming up with plans to contain RR's batting unit, which comprises Buttler, Yashasvsi Jaiswal, skipper Sanju Samson, and others. Meanwhile, two Sri Lankan players, Matheesa Pathirana and Maheesh Theekshana, have joined the team.
Currently, CSK is in the fifth position in the points table with two wins and a loss in three matches and four points. RR is in the second position with the same win-loss record as CSK, but their superior net run rate gives them a higher place in the table.
If you want to read more on Dhoni, you should check out the time he met with a teammate's family and gave birthday greetings.
