IPL 10, Match 24, RPS vs SRH: CT player of the match – MS Dhoni

Rising Pune Supergiant have been inconsistent this season winning just two games out of five and were right at the bottom of the table going into this game. It was a must-win game for Pune to keep their tails up in the race for the top four. It was crucial that they beat Hyderabad today to climb up on the table and they did pull off a victory in a thrilling contest.

MS Dhoni is the master of such games and he proved it once again. He is one of those players who is calm as a cucumber in the pressure situations and wins the game almost single-handedly if required, today was such an occasion. Dhoni was criticized for his poor form and all the newspapers were writing him off but he answered his critics today with a magnificent inning.

For such an outstanding match-winning performance, Dhoni is CricTracker’s player of the match for the first this season.

A watchful start from Dhoni

The wicket-keeper batsman came in at a very crucial time for Pune as they had just lost their captain for 27 and were falling behind the required run-rate. They were 87 for 2 when the former Indian captain entered the proceedings. He made sure that he holds one end as he can always make up for those few dot balls. Dhoni scored a miserly 22 of first 20 deliveries and got his eye in on a two-paced pitch.

Took the game to the opposition.

After a slow start, Dhoni decided that it was time to up the ante and he did it in style. It was hard to time the ball as it was gripping the surface but he had gotten used to it and was striking the ball clean. Pune needed 47 of 18 deliveries and the best finisher in the world took the matter into his own hands. He scored 17 runs of Mohammad Siraj’s over and the requirement was down to 30 in 2 overs. But the game was still in the balance as Hyderabad had a trump card in the name of Bhuvaneshwar Kumar.

Vintage MS Dhoni.

The second last over was given to the best bowler of the season so far and all the batsmen in the tournament struggled to score against him. However, Dhoni is a batsman of a different league and was at his sumptuous best today. The best bowler of Hyderabad was smacked for 19 runs in his last over. Dhoni showed his class as he hit him for two boundaries and a six in as many deliveries making sure they had only 11 to chase of the last over which was to be bowled by a youngster. In this process, Dhoni brought up his first half-century of IPL 2017 of just 29 deliveries.

Calm and composed under pressure.

When you talk about Dhoni, “calm” and “cool” are the two words which come to your mind. Dhoni’s ability to handle pressure is second to none. He is one of the calmest human beings under pressure and he proved it once again today. 6 balls and 11 runs were required and Manoj Tiwary hit a four the first delivery and a couple of singles here and there brought the score down to 2 of the final delivery. Warner took his time to adjust the field as Siddharth Kaul was feeling the pressure. Well, the story ended just right for the best finisher in the world as he dispatched a wide delivery outside off stump through the cover region for a boundary and won the game for his side.

Dhoni scored 61 of just 34 balls and made sure his team won the game. For this awe-inspiring effort, MS Dhoni has earned a rating of 4 out of 5 and is our player of the match.