MS Dhoni does right thing at right time, says KKR assistant coach Simon Katich

Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will lock horns with defenders Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the teams’ next game at the Eden Gardens on Sunday. It is just a few days ago that MS Dhoni’s side humbled the KKR in a low-scoring game in Chennai despite Andre Russell’s heroics and the upcoming game promises to be an interesting one since both sides have some explosive talents.

While the game played in Chennai saw the batsmen struggling to find runs (Kolkata scored only 109 for 8), Eden Gardens could be an entirely different ball game because of the belter of the wicket it has. The Knight Riders suffered two back-to-back losses after winning four of their first five matches with the latest against Delhi Capitals (DC) in their own den.

Former Australia batsman and the current KKR assistant coach Simon Katich feels the CSK will have to make some adjustments on the Eden wicket and added that it will be interesting to see what strategy Dhoni goes with into the game. He also praised the veteran captain saying he seemed to do things right.

“The wicket has been an absolute belter to bat on, it’s been high-scoring, quick outfield. All the batsmen have certainly enjoyed it out there. Spinners are finding it hard work. It’s quite an easy paced wicket. We’ll have to see what the master, Dhoni, goes in with tomorrow. He seems to pull the right strings at the right time,” he was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

“Even the last game they played against Rajasthan, Harbhajan has been bowling beautifully, but he doesn’t play because they have five right-handers in their top order and he brings in Santner who did a good job for them. So, he’s very clever in the way he goes about it, and we probably need to take a leaf out of that book.”

Mike Hussey praises Dhoni’s impact on the side

Katich’s compatriot Mike Hussey, who is the batting coach of the CSK, even lauded Dhoni’s all-round skills and influence that can have a telling impact on the side.

“If he comes into the team’s in trouble, quite often you see him play slowly and just resurrect the innings, build a partnership, we’ve seen how dominant and how powerful that can be at the death as well.”

The CSK have a 13-9 lead over the KKR in head-to-head meetings. However, when it comes to the Eden Gardens, the three-time champions haven’t beaten the KKR at the iconic venue since 2013.

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