Atmosphere of Dressing Room Important For Victory

Former Indian skipper and current Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni credited a perfect atmosphere in the dressing room for the franchise’s seventh IPL final appearance.

Cricket news: It is necessary to have a good atmosphere to have a good team, says Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings came back to the IPL after serving two years ban from the tournament because of some stints off the field.

Upon returning they qualified for the finals, having defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by two wickets on Tuesday in the first qualifier match.

In the post-match presentation, Dhoni said, “We have been a very good team over the past ten seasons, but it’s more about the dressing room atmosphere.

“And you can’t do that without the players and the support staff. And if atmosphere is not good, then players go to different directions. But somehow, we have managed to keep our boys on track.”

The entire team celebrated the win by dancing in the dressing room with the West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo being the main attraction.

Taking about the celebration in the dressing room, Dhoni said, “Always happy when we win. Being in the top two gives you that liberty to have one more game.”

It was Du Plessis who scored 67 off 42 balls and helped CSK to reach a tricky target of 140 in 19.1 overs, after the team was once down at 92 for seven.

“Faf’s innings, is where experience counts. It’s not easy when you don’t play a lot of games but I always say you need to train your mind as well. That’s where the experience comes in. You visualise what your role is, how you can contribute and Faf has been brilliant,” Dhoni said.

After the team was down at 92/7, Du Plessis came and changed the entire scenario before finishing the match by hitting a straight six off Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

“If we would’ve lost, you still give yourself a second chance. They bowled very well, and there was a bit for the fast bowlers. Bhuvi bowled well, backed up well by Rashid. We kept losing wickets, and so we had to push ourselves.

Losing three-four wickets in the middle always puts you on pressure. Plus, they have a mystery bowler. It’s good to win a game like this, but what’s more important, is knowing how we can improve,” Dhoni said.

CSK needed 43 runs off last three overs when SRH’s Carlos Brathwaite came to bowl. Du Plessis hit him for two fours and two sixes to get 20 runs off the over.

The South African right-handed batsman did not do much in the whole tournament, but stood strong when it mattered the most.

“Our bowling combination is the best we have, and from the beginning I’ve been using different players at different stages to test them. You have to keep shuffling to know who can do what for you, and at what time. It may hurt you sometimes, and the best bowlers are playing these games,” Dhoni concluded.