Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It is Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Chennai Super Kings captain Dhoni had a busy day at the office after Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and opted to bat first at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
The 39-year-old veteran finished with four catches and a run out (assisted by Jadeja) at the end of KKR innings however, there was a moment in the match when the cricket and Thala fans came together to say: Age is just a number.
In the fourth delivery of the 20th over bowled by Dwayne Bravo, Shivam Mavi threw his bat onto the ball and knicked one hard towards Dhoni. The wicketkeeper who had his right glove off, flew to his right but the ball escaped his hand. Dhoni then made a full-length dive to pouch the ball in the second attempt, completing a spectacular catch bringing the fans on their feet. Shane Watson, stationed in the slips, stood there in awe.
Soon microblogging site was flooded with videos and praises for the CSK captain.
The greatest wicketkeeper of limited overs cricket for a reason, what a catch from MS Dhoni. pic.twitter.com/GROc5CFPTH
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) October 7, 2020
#KKRvsCSKDhoni's catch pic.twitter.com/oBUwEVZ0Nt
— K R I S H N A (@srkparimi) October 7, 2020
What a catch from MS Dhoni, 4 catches and 1 run-out - another fine day behind stumps and this diving catch was without one glove in the hands. pic.twitter.com/RUrpaxatJv
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 7, 2020
4 catches & one run-out for #Dhoni tonightAge is just a number ❤️#CSKvsKKR@ChennaiIPL pic.twitter.com/ZnuTrcjgMF
— Dhoni Army (@DHONI_07_) October 7, 2020
Flying Mahi with an Golden Hands !! 🔥#MSDhoni @MSDhoni pic.twitter.com/dODwqtbvMi
— DHONI Tamil FC™ (@DhoniTamilFC) October 7, 2020
Age is just a number for this Super Human!😉💛Retweet if you agree with us. #Dhoni #KKRvsCSK #WhistlePodu pic.twitter.com/jg5crOMayG
— Whistle Podu Army ® - CSK Fan Club (@CSKFansOfficial) October 7, 2020
1000000000000000000% Agree - Age is just a number for this one, leading the Daddies’ Army!@IrfanPathan @harbhajan_singh @msdhoni #KKRvsCSK #Dhoni pic.twitter.com/vFItPsyijI
— Sonal Goyal (@goyal_sonal) October 7, 2020
You may hate him but have to agree to the fact that no one can replace him behind the stumps #KKRvsCSK #Dhoni pic.twitter.com/AUrkFPqv0G
— DeepTweets007 (@DeepTweets007) October 7, 2020
Such was his catch, those who missed it, soon rushed to google to catch a glimpse of it.
Unfortunately, the catch was one of the few highlights in CSK's outing as Dhoni-led squad failed to chase the target of 168 posted by Kolkata Knight Riders. In fact, later on, Dhoni along with Kedar Jadhav was at the receiving end of harsh criticism for an uninspired run-chase.
Shane Watson's spirited half-century (50 off 40) laid a foundation for a rather comfortable run-chase as CSK needed 67 in 7 overs and their scorecard read 101-2. But KKR kept their composure and tight bowling spells by Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, and Kamlesh Nagarkoti foiled CSK's plans to secure their third victory in ongoing IPL season. In the end, CSK fell short by 10 runs and KKR opener Rahul Tripathi was crowned Player of the Match for his splendid 81 (51).