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Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star and Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli dropped a major hint on legendary wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni's future plan, citing that Saturday's game between RCB and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) might be the final time the two play together.
RCB and CSK will battle it out for the final IPL 2024 playoffs place during their crunch fixture at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. CSK are placed in 4th position with 14 points from 13 matches while RCB are seventh with 12 points in as many outings. The veteran Indian batter took Dhoni as an example to support his method, claiming that the now 42-year-old supported him throughout his career by helping in games to the final over. Since last year's IPL, speculations have been building around which season could be Dhoni's last season as a player in the cash-rich league. CSK have made their final appearance at Chepauk in the group stage. After sharing the dressing room with Dhoni multiple times over the previous 16 years, Kohli hinted that this might also be his final opportunity to play alongside the former India captain. "For fans to see him (Dhoni) play in any stadium in India is a big thing. Me and him playing again, maybe for the last time, you never know - that is a special thing. We have had some great memories, some great partnerships for India, it's a great occasion for fans to see us together," Kohli said on Jio Cinema. Kohli said Dhoni was criticised for this early in his career but the wicketkeeper-batter did not alter his strategy. "People used to say the same about Mahi bhai (Mahendra Singh Dhoni). 'Why is he taking the game to 20th over or 50th over?' But how many matches did he finish for India! He's probably the only person who knows what he's doing! And he's finishing the game from there. For me, that's muscle memory. He knows if he takes the match till the last over, he'll win the game. My mindset was different. I used to think let's finish the game in the 49th over (in ODIs) or 19th over (in T20s). If he was batting with me at the end, then the thinking was different. He will take the game into the last over where the opposition team is shivering in fear," Kohli further added. Meanwhile, Dhoni could once again return to CSK's home stadium if they managed to make the cut for the playoffs and manage to reach the final of the tournament. The IPL final will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on May 24. In ten innings, Dhoni has amassed 136 runs at a strike rate of 226.66. As of right now, Kohli leads the race of players with the most runs and is a strong contender for the Orange Cap. (ANI)
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