R Ashwin Reveals Brilliant Story From MI vs CSK Match: 'When MS Dhoni Came...'

R Ashwin Reveals Brilliant Story From MI vs CSK Match: 'When MS Dhoni Came...'

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Last Updated: March 26, 2025, 13:24 IST

Chennai Super Kings were close to getting past the target but were still not 100% through with wickets tumbling towards the end of their innings.

MS Dhoni steps out to bat during the IPL game between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians (Picture credit: AP)

Star India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed how when MS Dhoni came out to bat for the Chennai Super Kings against arch-rivals Mumbai Indians on Sunday, March 23, there was so much noise and chaos that almost everyone forgot the gravity of the match situation.

Dhoni walked out to bat in the 19th over after Ravindra Jadeja’s run out, leading to a rousing reception for the former at the franchise’s home ground.

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Returning to the Chennai camp after 10 years, it was the first time that Ashwin witnessed the stunning reaction from the dressing room.

“When MS Dhoni came out to bat in Chennai, there was so much noise and chaos that we forgot the situation of the game only. MS Dhoni has earned the love. It was for the first time I was seeing that reception from the CSK dressing room; I always saw it from the outside," Ashwin said while speaking on his YouTube channel.

The victory over Mumbai marked Dhoni’s return to competitive cricket since IPL 2024. There were rumours surrounding his future, but they were put to rest after he was retained as an uncapped player by Chennai ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.

The game wasn’t quite done and dusted when Dhoni walked out to bat. The Mumbai spinners applied pressure to stay in the hunt, almost getting to Chennai’s lower order.

“I was padded up, I was the next batter. I went inside and asked Ruturaj how the wicket and all that because we still needed 4 runs, but everyone forgot that a match was on the line," Ashwin said.

While Dhoni couldn’t finish off the match, he had his moment in the first innings when he executed a perfect stumping to dismiss opposition captain Suryakumar Yadav.

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Meanwhile, Dhoni wasn’t quite convinced about the requirement for the Impact Player rule when it was first introduced in the Indian Premier League but now sees it as a part of T20s’ evolution.

Dhoni, who remains a talismanic figure for Chennai despite relinquishing leadership in 2024, said that he doesn’t consider himself an Impact Player, as he remains the first-choice wicketkeeper of his team.

First Published: March 26, 2025, 13:24 IST

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