Chennai's Dhoni admits to being overcome by emotion after guiding team to win
Chennai's Dhoni admits to being overcome by emotion after guiding team to win
So impeccable is India and Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's behaviour on the field (and off it) that it was astonishing to see his reaction after he smashed Irfan Pathan out of the park and seal his team's berth in the semis in the the third edition of the Indian Premier League.
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| On the run: Chennai Super Kings skipper scampers off for a run during their match against Kings XI Punjab at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala yesterday.
IPL2010/GETTY IMAGES |
But admittedly, after hitting back-to-back sixes off Pathan's last over, Dhoni was overcome by emotion. And, the few expletives and an upper cut to his jaw that followed were an outlet of those emotions.
"It was a very emotional moment for me," Dhoni said after scoring an unbeaten 54.
"The kind of team and franchise we have, we should have made it to the semis long before this match," Dhoni added.
The Chennai side required 16 off the last over to chase down the target of 193 that Punjab scored after being put in by Dhoni.
Pathan was handed the ball to see off the last over by his skipper Kumar Sangakkara. And evidently, Dhoni proved to be way better under pressure than his India teammate.
His 29-ball unbeaten 54 took his team home with two balls and six wickets to spare.
Earlier, Kings XI Punjab dished out their best batting display, with the Aussie Shaun Marsh leading the scoring chart with a solid 88.
And after useful contributions from Sangakkara (33), Mahela Jayawardene (21) and Pathan (44), the Punjab team had reasons enough to assume that it was a winning total until Suresh Raina (46) and S Badrinath (53) set up the chase for their dashing skipper Dhoni to finish things off.
