The finisher thrived at the ‘death’, yet again

M.S. Dhoni, the formidable finisher, is nerveless, has no fear of failure, possesses a cool and calculative mind even when emotions are swirling around him, and is ruthless with his astonishing bat-speed, dexterous wrists and power.

Crucially, he comprehends when to strike. He picks his moment and the bowler.

Blast from the past

Dhoni’s believe-it-or-not onslaught at 40 at the ‘death’ against old foe Mumbai Indians here on Thursday was a blast from the past.

When Dhoni swaggered in, CSK required 54 from 31 deliveries.

Then, Dhoni sprinted like a young man, innovated, created and eventually delivered the knockout blow with a whirlwind unbeaten 13-ball 28.

Dhoni, typically took the game very deep, and the opposition made mistakes under pressure.

Finally, it boiled down to 16 off the last four.

Crucially, Dhoni stands still, does not give away much in the form of early and pronounced movements.

And Dhoni has a map of the field-placements in his head, has a clarity of thought with the length of the ball dictating his shot selection. He does pick the length early.

He smoked left-armer Jaydev Unadkat for a straight six, followed it up with a pulled boundary. The first ball was pitched up and the second landed short but Dhoni was ready for both.

He flicked the next ball for a brace. With four needed off one ball, Dhoni cleverly directed the full length delivery, defeating the short fine-leg.

The finisher had ‘lived at the death’ to tell yet another tale.