I have learned to finish games from Mahi bhai: Shivam Dube

Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja stitched an unbeaten partnership of 66 runs off 37 balls as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) got the better of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six wickets with eight balls to spare on Friday, March 22, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk, Chennai.

After the match, Dube, who has looked like a different player since he joined the Men in Yellow ahead of the 2022 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), joked that he and Jadeja are not out from the final of last season. In IPL 2023, CSK defeated Gujarat Titans off the last ball in the final after Dube and Jadeja stitched an unbeaten partnership of 22 runs off 13 balls. The two left-handed batters continued from where they left and helped the Super Kings win the season's opener with relative ease. The Mumbai all-rounder said that he learned the art of finishing from the legendary, MS Dhoni.

"It was amazing. Me and Jadeja are still not out from 2023 (final). Finishing the game for Chennai is always something else for me. That's what I have learned from Mahi bhai and that's what I'm trying to do in every game. That feels very good when you finish the game like this and especially, on the first game of the IPL. So it feels very good," said Dube while speaking to teammate Rachin Ravindra.

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Furthermore, the Kiwi all-rounder asked Dube if it was a conscious decision for him to bat till the end. Notably, Dube scored an unbeaten 34 off 28 balls which turned out to be crucial for the home side during the run chase. In Reflecting on the same, the youngster said that he was just looking to watch the ball and play according to merit.

"There was only thing in my mind. Watch the ball and play. Because I know what I can do when I am there till the end," said Dube.

RCB skipper Faf du Plessis looked in good touch, Virat Kohli got out cheaply in IPL 2024 opener

Earlier in the day, Faf du Plessis elected to bat first after winning the toss at his former IPL home ground. The South African batter scored 35 off 23 balls but the likes of Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, and Cameron Green couldn't back him up. It was a 95-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Anuj Rawat and Dinesh Karthik that helped the Bengaluru-based franchise to finish on a competitive score of 173/6 in their 20 overs. Mustafizur Rahman bagged a four-for and made a mark on his CSK debut.

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On the back of Rachin's 37 off 15 balls at the top and the unbeaten partnership between Jadeja and Dube, the defending champions managed to pull off a comfortable win. CSK will now face Gujarat Titans on Tuesday, March 26.