For the first time in this IPL season, MS Dhoni turned up at a venue on Chennai Super Kings‘ matchday. And with the long wait at the MA Chidambaram Stadium finally ending, the sighting triggered quite a frenzy. As Dhoni stepped out of the team bus and made his way into the Chepauk stadium, the fans and experts, in unison, could not help but wonder if Monday was finally the day the legend would make his first appearance this season. But captain Ruturaj Gaikwad killed the buzz straightaway at the toss, with a worrying update.
As Dhoni watched from the Chepauk dressing room, Gaikwad silenced the home crowd after Ravi Shastri was compelled to ask the burning question. “He’s still here, but he’s not fit enough to play this game,” he said after opting to bat first against Sunrisers Hyderabad in CSK’s final home game this season.
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Dhoni had trained on Sunday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, where he faced throwdowns and spinners for close to 40 minutes before leaving. But that alone could not single-handedly indicate his return for the match against SRH. Dhoni has been fairly regular with his appearances in practice sessions, but they have largely been minimal. The only time he went further than just facing throwdowns was before a match against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, where he even kept the wickets in the training session. The frenzy had reached fever pitch after the sighting. But neither did he turn up at the venue on matchday, nor was he part of the playing XI.
However, this time, Dhoni went a step further, showing his presence at the Chepauk, sparking almost a feeling of certainty over his maiden appearance this season. Then why didn’t he appear in the game?
According to a report in The Indian Express, Dhoni had suffered a fresh injury setback, in addition to the two consecutive calf strains that kept him on the sidelines throughout the season. He incurred a thumb injury during a net session right before CSK’s trip to Lucknow. The management had booked his flight tickets to Lucknow, but he decided to stay back in Chennai.
The report also revealed that while Dhoni did not show any signs of visible discomfort when batting in the nets on Sunday, it was after the session that he decided not to feature in the game against the Sunrisers as he is still not 100 per cent fit.
CSK fans will keep their fingers crossed, as the team still has one more game remaining in the league stage, against the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. And should they qualify, it will leave another possibility for Dhoni to appear.
