MS Dhoni, a man who has been batting at the No. 7 or No. 8 positions for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year, came out to bat at the No. 5 spot against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday. With the match all but won, Dhoni promoted himself up in the batting order, but not before Ravindra Jadeja had an opportunity to tease the fans at Chepauk. In a video that has gone viral, Jadeja could be seen walking before Dhoni to bat, before promptly returning.
The incident had fans, as well as the CSK bench in splits. But, as it turns out the plans wasn't Jadeja's at all. It was Dhoni himself who had plotted the act in the match against the Knight Riders himself.
In a video, CSK pacer Tushar Deshpande revealed the same. He said: "Dhoni bhai instructed Jaddu bhai, 'I will go for batting but you just act like you are going'".
Jadeja confirmed the story and said, "Watching Mahi bhai bat is always worth the price for fans."
The all-rounder, Jadeja, was also named the player of the match for his splendid performance with the ball. He picked up three important wickets as CSK secured their third win of the campaign to go 4th on the points table.
"Always enjoy my bowling on these kind of tracks. Was just looking to bowl in good areas. I've practiced a lot here - if you bowl in good areas, it helps you. Takes time for visiting team to settle down and plan something. Difficult for them to come here and identify the surface. We know the conditions very well," Jadeja said after the game.
The Super Kings have won all three games home but would be looking to improve their away from having lost both games outside Chennai so far in IPL 2024.