"We know how calming MS Dhoni can be" - MI captain Rohit Sharma reacts after CSK seal last-ball thriller

Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Rohit Sharma admitted that MS Dhoni made all the difference in their IPL 2022 match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Thursday. Chennai won the match by three wickets on the last ball at the DY Patil Sports Academy.

Incidentally, the game boiled down to the last over with 17 runs required off the last six balls. Jaydev Unadkat got off to a blazing start, dismissing Dwaine Pretorius on the first ball and conceding only one in the second. The equation came down to 16 runs from four balls and MS Dhoni pulled off another heist in some style.

The 20th over is MS Dhoni's territory and he proved it yet again. He took Unadkat on, hitting a six and boundary off the next two balls. The 40-year-old wicket-keeper batter sneaked in a double to bring the equation to four runs off the final ball. He capped it with a perfect boundary, gliding it past the short third-man fielder.

The MI captain, meanwhile, lauded his teammates for the fight but acknowledged that they conceded the game to the 40-year-old former CSK captain. Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Rohit Sharma stated:

"In the end, it was a great fight from us. We were right in the game. After batting not so well, the bowlers kept us in the game all through. In the end, we know how calming MS Dhoni can be and he took them home."

Unadkat failed to hit the right length under the pump which cost Mumbai. However, Rohit Sharma shied away from pointing fingers at anyone and stated that they have failed to play as a unit. The 33-year-old added:

"It's hard to put a finger on it. It's just that we're not applying ourselves. If you lose a couple of wicket upfront, it's always going to be tough. You're always playing catch-up. We set a reasonable target and thought we could keep them under pressure, which we did till the last over. But in the end, MS and Pretorius were quite calm and got them home."

They have now lost seven games on the trot - the worst by a IPL team in the history of the IPL. Mumbai will now have to win all their remaining games to give themselves at least a chance of making it to the top four.

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"We got to a reasonable target but it wasn't enough" - Rohit Sharma

The five-time champions were reduced to 2/2 in the first over with both openers back in the hut. Chennai Super Kings struck with two more wickets to put Mumbai at 47/4. But significant contributions from Tilak Varma (51*) and debutant Hrithik Shokeen (25) helped the team post 155 runs on the board.

However, Rohit Sharma reckoned that it was not enough to seal a victory. He concluded:

"The pitch was good, we could have got more runs there. But as I said earlier, we lost a few wickets upfront, after which it was always going to be hard for us after that to come out and play freely. We get to a reasonable target but it wasn't enough."

According to the IPL schedule, Mumbai Indians will lock horns with Lucknow Super Giants in their next fixture on Sunday at the Wankhede Stadium.