Mumbai :Mahendra Singh Dhoni was soaking in everything with his usual calm demeanour before attributing Chennai Super Kings’ seventh IPL final appearance to “dressing room atmosphere”, a far cry from the awe that was best summed up by a popular teammate’s groovy tribute.
Coming back after a two-year ban, two-time champions CSK last night pulled off a thrilling two-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad to make the final of the cash-rich league, with Faf du Plessis leading the chase.
“We have been a very good team over the past ten seasons, but it’s more about the dressing room atmosphere,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
The two-time World Cup winning captain added, “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.”
All-rounder Dwayne Bravo celebrated the victory with a dance in the dressing room. A video of the same was posted on Twitter by Chennai Super Kings, in which Bravo and Harbhajan Singh are seen dancing in front of skipper Dhoni.
“Always happy when we win. Being in the top two gives you that liberty to have one more game.”
Du Plessis’ 67 off 42 balls enabled CSK to chase down a tricky target of 140 in 19.1 overs after being 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
