Dream11 IPL 2020: MS Dhoni concedes he's not batted for a while as Rajasthan beats Chennai

Chennai skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni revealed why he decided to bat lower down the order during the Dream11 IPL 2020 match against Rajasthan at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. The inaugural edition's champions got the better of Dhoni & co. by 16 runs. MS Dhoni had come out to bat at number six in this match. He scored a 17-ball unbeaten 29 and even though 'Captain Cool' managed to hit three consecutive maximums in the final over, it was too late by then as three-time winners could only salvage pride. 

'Wanted to try different things': MS Dhoni

"With 217 on the board, we needed a very good start which was not the case. Steve and Samson batted very well. Need to give credit to their bowlers. Once you've seen the first innings, you know the length to bowl. Their spinners did well to bowl away from the batsman. Our spinners made the error to bowl too full. If we would've maybe restricted them to 200, it would've been a good game. I haven't batted for a long time. 14-day quarantine doesn't help.  Also wanted to try different things, give opportunities to Sam. Have the opportunity to try different things. If it doesn't work, you can always go back to your strengths. Faf adapted very well. Something the batsmen will do, neglect square leg and go more towards long-on and long-off", said Dhoni during the post-match interview.

His opposite number Steve Smith heaped praise on Sanju Samson and Jofra Archer who batted brilliantly to help the 2008 winners post a mammoth total.

"I think the last surge from Jofra was an incredible bit of hitting. Sanju Samson, looked like everything he hit went for six. MS smacked a few in the end, and Faf got going too, but nice to get a W in front of the RRs. Sanju was incredible, and all I had to do was give him the strike. This should give him a lot of confidence. Jos is a quality player and we'll see what happens when he comes back. Hard to take the opening slot away from someone like him. It was important for the bowlers to avoid straight hits, and it was important to make him hit the back of a length. The leg-spinners were very good with their lengths - good on them. Shreyas Gopal does what he does pretty well. Dubai is a lot bigger, and I haven't trained there, I just got here. So hopefully the boys are ready for it. Looking forward to it", the Rajasthan skipper said.

Sanju Samson, who was adjudged the Man of the Match revealed how he succeeded in making his bat do the talking and at the same time also said that he is open to don the gloves if at all an opportunity comes his way.

"My game plan is stand and deliver. If it's in the arc I go for it, and it's very important to keep the intent to hit the ball if it's there to be hit. I've been working hard on my fitness, diet, and training, and on my strength, because my game relies a lot on power hitting. I think range-hitting is what the game demands in this generation. I had time to work out in these 5 months, and I think I've increased that ability. Everyone likes to keep wickets and no one likes running around, but it's up to the coach. We are happy to bring smiles on the fans' faces and we hope to continue doing so", he said. 

READ: IPL 2020: Rajasthan Kickstart Campaign With A Victory, Beats Chennai By 16 Runs