There are not many better than the great Mahendra Singh Dhoni when it comes to game awareness and that reflected in his maiden outing with the bat this IPL season, said Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming.

The margin of defeat for CSK’s first loss of the season would have been bigger
than 20 runs if it was not for Dhoni’s unbeaten 37 off 16 balls at No. 8.

Dhoni’s cameo against the Delhi Capitals included a thundering six over the extra-cover region before he unleashed a one-handed maximum over mid-wicket in the 20th over.

The 42-year-old, who last played for India in 2019, had undergone a knee surgery
last year.

“It was beautiful, wasn’t it? He has been playing incredibly well pre-season. He is coming back from quite a serious injury. His batting has been superb. It gave us a positive vibe towards the end of a tough day.

“To get within 20 (runs of the target), run rate wise it is important and he knows that. The way he played was spectacular,” said the former New Zealand captain at the post-match media conference
on Sunday.

While Dhoni turning the clock back to bat like only he can was definitely a good
sign for the Chennai franchise, there were some concerns over the former captain’s
fitness. Dhoni was seen limping in a video posted by CSK on X after Sunday’s match. There was no news on if Dhoni
has some problem in his legs, but it would not be surprising if he is forced to rest for a match or two.

Standing behind the wickets for 20 overs and then running between the wickets while batting, it is certainly not easy for someone of Dhoni’s age who plays IPL to IPL. He is no longer the captain of the team, having handed over the reins to Ruturaj Gaikwad, so one assumes he can take rest if needed.

Chennai, in any case, have looked to be in good rhythm with two wins from three games and so there is no immediate worry.

Their loss to Delhi on Sunday was their first of the season. Speaking about that, Fleming added: “The result today (Sunday) is a fair reflection of the team’s play. We were a little bit off, we were slow at the start in the first six overs of each innings. We gave away too many runs in the first six when we bowled.

“When we batted, they were very good, created pressure and used the conditions very well. The little cameos from David Warner and Rishabh Pant pushed them to a very good score (191/5).”