MS Dhoni launches Corey Anderson for a huge match-winning six

MS Dhoni has the strike, Corey Anderson is the bowler, 5 runs needed from 3 balls and as cliché as it gets Dhoni launched Anderson for a magnanimous six and won the match for his team. The Chennai Super Kings captain has been in tremendous form this season, he has been hitting the ball clean, as clean as it gets, the sixes, the ever so famous sixes are just flowing out of his bat.

He is dancing down the track against the spinners, just whacking the fuller balls from the pacers and launching the ones that are in his arc into some other orbit well out of sight. Dhoni had won the toss and made his favourite decision. Chasing is always easier at the Chinnaswamy and with the kind of batting his team has and the bowling Royal Challenger Bangalore have Dhoni knew what he wanted to do.

Cut to over 18 in the chase, out of the 205 Chennai needed 45 runs to win from 18 balls. Ambati Rayudu and Dhoni were in the middle, it was their game but not if RCB bowled even decently well. Corey Anderson took a six from Dhoni and conceded a boundary to Rayudu but the CSK opener was run out on the 5th ball for 82 from 53 and the game was just getting close.

Dhoni the chase master knew what he had to do. He didn’t mind playing off a good bowler for singles and didn’t leave a singular opportunity to strike the ball over the boundary. Mohammad Siraj allowed them just 3 singles in the first four balls, the pressure was mounting on CSK, on Dhoni. He sliced the next over point for a six. Siraj now under the pump bowled three wides and they got a double on the ultimate ball to eventually manage 5 from one ball.

Virat Kohli had by now exhausted all his resources. He had to turn to Anderson once again. The New Zealander having given away 41 from his 3 overs was asked to defend 16 runs. First ball Dwayne Bravo top-edged for a boundary, next was thumped for a six, a single and Dhoni was on strike.

The best finisher in the world had yet another opportunity to finish the game for his team. He knew the bowler was looking to go wide of his stump, he moved towards the off-side. He once again outsmarted the bowler well before the ball was delivered. It was just under his bat and Dhoni cracked it into the Chinnaswamy stands as the crowd erupt in joy. What a champion he is.

He stayed unbeaten on 70 from 34 balls and the number of sixes he hit in the innings today was 7 against just one boundary.

Here is the winning shot: