MS Dhoni recreates match-winning six from 2011 World Cup final in IPL 2023 practice nets

India marked the 12th anniversary of its historic ODI World Cup victory on Sunday, April 2. Team India, captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, defeated Sri Lanka in the final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to win the World Cup for the second time in 28 years. Notably, India also became the first-ever country to win the World Cup on its home soil.

After winning the toss, Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara chose to bat first. Sangakkara and Co. set Team India a 275-run target to chase, with Mahela Jayawardene scoring an unbeaten 103. India were in trouble in the chase after losing legendary batters Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag early into the innings to get reduced to 31/2, with Sri Lanka bowler Lasith Malinga silencing the Wankhede crowd. 

When India's hopes began to fade, skipper Dhoni came to bat after promoting himself to No. 5. He put up a 109-run stand with fellow teammate Gautam Gambhir, propelling India to victory. Gambhir fell three runs short of the three-figure mark, while Dhoni scored an unbeaten 91 off 79 balls. He finished off in style, hitting a six to help India reach the target with ten balls to spare.

Dhoni, who is currently competing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, was spotted recreating the iconic six in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) practice nets. On Sunday, CSK took to Twitter and shared a video of Dhoni slamming the six with the caption, "When nostalgia strikes!"

Watch the video:

Chennai Super Kings@ChennaiIPL

When nostalgia hits! 🥺💛 #AndhaNaalGnyabagam #WhistlePodu #Yellove 🦁 @msdhoni

12:08 AM · Apr 02, 2023

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CSK will host LSG on Monday at Chepauk

CSK were defeated by the defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets in the IPL opener on Friday, March 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Mumbai. On Monday, April 3, the four-time champions will face the KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai. Notably, this will be Dhoni's first match in front of the home crowd in more than three years.

Dhoni, who is believed to bring down the curtains on his illustrious IPL career after this season, would be keen to leave an indelible mark in front of the enthusiastic Chennai crowd, which would want its most revered captain to bring the trophy home one final time.

Earlier, Chennai started their IPL campaign on Friday on a disappointing note as the four-time champions lost to Gujarat Titans following an ordinary show. Opener Ruturaj Gaikwad piled up 92 runs but that was all as none of the other CSK batters managed to put up a show. With the ball, Rajvardhan Hangargekar tried to put up a fight by claiming three wickets but eventually failed to take Chennai across the line as Gujarat chased the 179-run target down with 5 wickets and 4 balls to spare.