The renowned MS Dhoni has always been notable for his exceptional capacity to maintain composure under duress. But on April 11, 2019, at a crucial point in the match between the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, the wicketkeeper-batter lost all control of his temper due to a poorly executed no-ball call by the on-field umpires.
Ben Stokes bowled Mitchell Santner a high full-toss in the game’s last delivery. After first signalling a no-ball, the leg-umpire decided that the delivery was fair. MS Dhoni became enraged by the abrupt decision change and stormed onto the pitch to demand an explanation from the officials. While the umpires attempted to talk sense into the former India captain’s head, play was stopped for a few minutes.
Shreyas Gopal
, a current CSK player who played for the Royals in that match, recalls the eerily quiet atmosphere as MS Dhoni took the pitch.
“He simply strolled by like that because I was genuinely at fine-leg. I knew trouble was coming. Something has either severely bothered him or something is wrong if he has to walk in, especially since he is arguably the calmest and coolest cricket player. If you look at it, there was probably only one instance when Mahi bhai entered, and nobody said a word. According to CSK’s YouTube channel, “the only time I saw him walk into a field and everyone was quiet.”
In the IPL, my hat-trick against RCB stands out: Gopal
Gopal’s most memorable moment in the lucrative IPL 2019 was his spectacular hat-trick against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
“My hat-trick against RCB is the highlight of the IPL. My confidence skyrocketed at that point, and it truly made me realise that I could succeed at this level. Cricket ultimately comes down to a game of confidence. “Your form exudes confidence,” he remarked.
Gopal has participated in 52 IPL games thus far. At an economy rate of 8.16 and an average of 25.92, he has claimed 52 wickets. Despite being a member of the CSK team this season, the 32-year-old did not play.
India
