Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star MS Dhoni was seen batting in the nets ahead of their Indian Premier League (IPL) opener against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Dhoni took on the CSK bowlers in the practice session at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday. In a viral video, Dhoni was seen hitting boundaries for fun, and also executed his trademark helicopter shot to perfection off Deepak Chahar's delivery. Chahar bowled an overpitched ball to Dhoni, who adjusted his feet and timed it to perfection, clearing the midwicket boundary.
Ahead of the new IPL seasons, CSK batting coach Michael Hussey lauded Dhoni and admitted that he is like Benjamin Button.
"He's preparing really well. His knee seems good at this stage. And he's batting extremely well at the moment. I must admit he's like Benjamin Button! He keeps getting better," Hussey was quoted as saying by CSK's website.
Hussey further stated that Dhoni would find it difficult to run between the wickets during batting.
"He's not as young as he used to be. So, the scampering between the wickets is going to be more difficult for him. But at the back end of the innings, where there's not as much sprinting, he can still hit the ball very cleanly. And he's hitting the ball extremely well at the moment. It's great to see," the former Australian batter added.
Dhoni led CSK to their fifth title last year, despite struggling throughout the season due to a knee issue.
He successfullly underwent a knee surgery after the IPL 2023 final.
CSK squad for IPL 2024: MS Dhoni (c), Moeen Ali, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Mitchell Santner, Simarjeet Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Rachin Ravindra, Shardul Thakur, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Mustafizur Rahman, Avanish Rao Aravelly.