‘It’s a Very Special Venue Because…’: MS Dhoni Reveals Why Sawai Mansingh Stadium is Close to His Heart

Legendary Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni revealed why he feels Sawai Mansingh Stadium is very close to his heart after his team’s match against Rajasthan Royals. Dhoni suffered a 32-run defeat on Friday away from home but once again great support for him and the Yellow Army was witnessed at the opposition venue. The fans are coming in big numbers this season to support Dhoni who might bid adieu to IPL after the ongoing season.

Dhoni has fond memories of playing at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in the past as his highest score in ODIs – 183 came at the same venue and he recalled how that innings made sure he gets a long run in the Indian team.

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“I think they will be chasing me throughout. It’s a very special venue because my first ODI hundred was in Vizag which gave away maybe another 10 games to me but 183 over here and it made sure that I get chances for one year. It’s a very good venue, very close to my heart. We have been playing around all over but it’s good to be back here,” Dhoni said after the match.

Talking about the defeat against the Royals, Dhoni suggested that his team gave away too many runs in the powerplay which help the opposition to post an above-par score.

“It (target) was quite a bit above par. The reason was the first six overs, gave too many runs, but at the same time the pitch was best to bat on at that time. Even when they were finishing the edges kept going for boundaries. They got par+ score and we were not able to stop the runs,” he said.

It was an off day for young Sri Lanka pacer Matheesha Pathirana, however, Dhoni suggested that he bowled good lengths but his figures don’t reflect it.

“I felt his (Pathirana) bowling was very good, not that he bowled badly. The scorecard doesn’t reflect how well he bowled,” he added.

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The legendary wicketkeeper batter also heaped praises for Rajasthan Royals youngsters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel for their blistering knocks.

“Yashasvi batted really well, important to go after the bowlers, took calculated risks. It was slightly easier against our bowlers because we had to assess the right lengths. Even then Yashasvi batted well at the top end and at the end Jurel batted really well,” Dhoni said.

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