By: Aditya Ahuja
Chennai Super Kings’ wicket-keeper MS Dhoni made history on Sunday by becoming the first Indian keeper to score 7,000 runs in T20 cricket. The 42-year-old veteran achieved this feat during a match against Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The former CSK skipper played a blistering cameo, scoring 37 runs off just 16 balls at a strike rate of 231.25. His vintage hitting in the final over thrilled the crowd, although the game had already slipped away before his heroics in the last over.
Dhoni also broke another record for the most dismissals by a wicketkeeper in the T20 format, reaching 300 during the game.
The dismissal came when the 42-year-old caught Prithvi Shaw’s outside edge off Ravindra Jadeja.
He is the sole glovesman to record 300 dismissals in this format. The next best record after Dhoni’s is held by Dinesh Karthik and Pakistan’s Kamran Akmal, with 274 dismissals.
During the run-chase of 192, Khaleel Ahmed (2/21) and Mukesh Kumar (3/21) caused trouble for the CSK batters with their precise line and length. At one point, CSK was struggling at 75/3 in 10.2 overs. However, valuable contributions came from Ajinkya Rahane (45 off 30 balls, including five fours and two sixes), Daryl Mitchell (34 off 26 balls, with a four and two sixes), and MS Dhoni (37* off 16 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes).
Despite Chennai’s best efforts, DC clinched a 20-run victory, restricting the five-time champions to 171/6.