'Nothing new for him or for us to see him do that' - Prithvi Shaw after MS Dhoni's heroics steer CSK into another final

Chennai Super Kings walked into their ninth final after handing a four-wicket defeat to Delhi Capitals in the first qualifier of the 2021 IPL. The table-toppers made a total of 172/5 thanks to half-centuries from Prithvi Shaw (60 off 34) and Rishabh Pant (51 off 35) but Ruturaj Gaikwad (70 off 50) and Robin Uthappa (63 off 44) ensured that CSK booked the final berth at the earliest opportunity.

However, the highlight of the CSK victory was the vintage finish by their dear “Thala”, who smacked a 6-ball 18 with three fours and a six to clinch the game with two balls to spare. Speaking about Dhoni’s class act, DC’s young opener Prithvi Shaw hailed him as “something different.”

“MS Dhoni is something different, everyone knows that. We have seen him finish games so many times and it’s nothing new for him or for us to see him do that. He’s definitely a dangerous player whenever he bats. I feel very lucky to be in this atmosphere and get a chance to watch him as a batsman and a leader. He took the game away from us,” Shaw was quoted as saying by an official press release from the Delhi Capitals franchise.

It’s a tough loss to digest for the team: Prithvi Shaw

Delhi Capitals, who had a brilliant run in the 2021 season across both legs, defeated CSK twice in the league stage but went down in the decisive clash as they will now face the winner of the Eliminator – either Kolkata Knight Riders or Royal Challengers Bangalore – on October 12 to make a second attempt of reaching the finals.

“At the moment, we have to back each other. The entire team takes the responsibility for our performance, whether we win or lose. We’ll try and come back stronger in the next match. It’s a tough loss to digest for the team. However, we have one more match through which we can qualify for the Final and I believe in each and everyone in the team. They are all great players – talent and skill-wise. I really believe that we can do something special in the next match and go through to the Final,” Shaw said.