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✪ No PCR test required to watch IPL matches at Sharjah, and Dhoni’s sixer finish makes non-stop whistling fans happy
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Senior cricket writer & analyst
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Most fans at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday were Chennai Super Kings supporters. They wanted to enjoy the evening and they did. The whistles that started from the time their team won the toss lasted much after the winning six by Chennai skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. They walked out of the ground whistling all the way happy to see their team enter the play off stage.
Mahendra Dhoni’s winning sixer. Photo: CSK Twitter
The result of the match at the Sharjah Stadium on Thursday (September 30, 2021) was nothing of a surprise. Almost all fans at the stadium watching the match between Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad were confident that Chennai will record a victory over out-of- form Hyderabad. After all it was a battle between No.1 placed Chennai versus the bottom placed Hyderabad. So the six-wicket win for Chennai, which became the first team to sail into the play off stage, went off as expected.
All that fans wanted on Thursday night was to make some noise and enjoy the atmosphere. And the first news that made them happy was the announcement that PCR Test will no longer be needed to watch the IPL matches at Sharjah. The authorities also lifted the minimum age requirement, so fans of all ages will now be able to come and watch all matches there.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni completes 100 catches as wicketkeeper for CSK. Photo: CSK Twitter
Most fans at the stadium had come armed with whistles. So when Chennai skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss, they greeted it by adhering to their slogan ‘whistle podu.’ There were hardly any claps heard throughout the match since the CSK fans had decided to express their appreciation by whistling only. And so piercing was the non-stop whistling that even after I reached home, I could hear these whistles ringing in my ear for nearly an hour!
It was exciting to watch Dhoni, the wicketkeeper. He showed no signs of a 40-year-old through his agile wicket-keeping. Chennai fans were only too excited to see Dhoni bag his 100th catch for CSK in the IPL. Fans wanted him to do everything that he used to do as India’s skipper. They wanted to see him scheme Hyderabad’s downfall as well his sixers. And they got all of that including a winning six from him, which was reminiscent of the 2011 World Cup winning six.
Before the final hit, the crowd had cheered him for a six, not sure whether he would be able to reproduce his ability of finishing matches with a six. Siddarth Kaul made the cardinal mistake of bowling overpitched on the middle, clearly forgetting that Dhoni relishes such a delivery. It was good to once again watch Dhoni use his muscular arms and hit it powerfully out of the boundary. I tried to track the ball when it soared into the sky but it was so powerfully hit that it quickly disappeared into the stands. Dhoni ensured that along with the shot that soared high, his team too raced into the play offs. Has Dhoni announced that the Dhoni saga hasn’t ended? And the sixer eliminated Hyderabad from the IPL 2021 too.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni leaves the hotel for the Sharjah match cheered by his fans. Photo CSK Twitter
Hyderabad was hopeful of extending their joy after their win over Rajasthan Royals in the previous match. They had ended their five-match losing streak after that victory. But the ‘Yellow Army’, as they are called, were virtually whistled out by the fans. It still remains a mystery as to what has gone wrong with this squad in this IPL despite having Kane Williamson, the World Cup finalist captain and consistent batsman, Jason Holder, one of the finest allrounders in the game, Rashid Khan, the finest among the spinners in the world and David Warner, hailed as the most destructive batsman in the world. One may also remember that in the 2020 edition, Chennai too did a Hyderabad producing a shoddy show, but has come back strongly this time.
Dwayne Bravo does his dance. Photo CSK Twitter
Another point of discussion is about Chennai’s brilliant performance despite most of their players in the 30-plus age group. This team has qualified for the play-off 11 times out of 12. This only goes to prove that age need not be a factor in T20 cricket. It was a joy to watch 37-year-old Dwayne Bravo dance to his ‘Champion’ song after taking a wicket. Chennai fans too responded by dancing in the stands.
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