Former India batter Suresh Raina hailed Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni for his "simple" tactics against Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2023 on Tuesday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. CSK defeated GT by 15 runs to reach a record-extending 10th IPL final. Speaking after the match, the four-time IPL winner said the entire nation wants Dhoni to win the IPL this season. Raina also recalled his chat with CSK star batter Ruturaj Gaikwad. who told him that the entire CSK team wants to win the IPL for Dhoni.
"Look at how they reached the Finals, 14 season 10 finals, I think it's a great achievement. MS Dhoni kept it simple. He deserves credit and Ruturaj (Gaikwad) had told me that CSK wants to win the title for Dhoni. Entire India wants to see Dhoni win the IPL," Raina said while speaking on Jio Cinema.
"What we got to see today is that it's very challenging to beat Chennai on this ground. Everything he touches turns to gold, and that's why he's named Mahendra Singh Dhoni," he added.
Notably, Dhoni has already led CSK to four IPL titles. Only Rohit Sharma has won more IPL trophies as captain (5).
After the match, CSK captain MS Dhoni said he will take a call on his retirement in another 8 to 9 months as there is no rush to decide on the future.
There have been speculations that 2023 could be a swansong season for Dhoni.
"I don't know, I have 8-9 months to decide. Why take that headache now. I have ample time to decide. The auction is in December," Dhoni said at the post-match presentation after guiding CSK to their 10th IPL final.
(With PTI Inputs)