Chepauk can be easily called the second home of the legendary MS Dhoni due to his massive fan following in Chennai. The 43-year-old is currently leading Chennai Super Kings after their regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad got ruled out of IPL 2025. Every time when CSK play at the MA Chidambaram stadium, it becomes a spectacle for all the cricket fans as the crowd leaves no stone unturned to welcome Dhoni on field. Seeing a grand reception by the fans for Dhoni also left CSK star Jamie Overton utterly surprised.
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Overton made his IPL debut for Chennai against Rajasthan Royals at Chepauk. Talking about his experience, he revealed that seeing the crowd celebrate Ravindra Jadeja‘s dismissal, only to welcome Dhoni at the crease, left him totally stunned.
He also stated that after the game, he messaged his father and asked him to watch a match at Chepauk only to witness Dhoni’s crazy fandom.
“I messaged my dad and my agent after the first home game. I was like, ‘You have to come out and experience MS walking out to the middle. [Ravindra] Jadeja got run-out and you had a home crowd cheering for someone to get run-out. I’ve watched Premier League games, plenty of other sports events, and there’s nothing else like that noise,” Overton said on ESPNCricinfo.
The England all-rounder went on to state that watching Dhoni practice at the nets has actually helped him in changing his own style.
“He holds the bat quite low with his hands, whereas I’m more an English or Australian version, with quite high hands. The spinners don’t get as much bounce [in India] so I’m trying to be a bit lower, with my hands a bit more relaxed… I feel like I’m in a good place with my batting,” said Overton.
Talking about his IPL debut, Overton scored an unbeaten 11 off 4 balls. With the ball, he bowled two overs and leaked 30 runs without scalping any wicket. So far, he has played three IPL matches and scored 15 runs and yet to take a wicket.
Talking about CSK, the five-time champions are struggling for consistency in the ongoing season. With only two wins after eight matches, CSK are stuck at the bottom of the points table.
They will now take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their upcoming IPL 2025 match on Friday at Chepauk. SRH’s condition is similar to CSK with same number of defeats but a slightly better net run-rate.
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