MS Dhoni crossed a major milestone in the IPL on Monday, April 3, as he achieved 5000 runs during his three-ball 12-run knock against the Lucknow Super Giants in Chennai. His two explosive sixes helped the Chennai Super Kings win the match by 12 runs and start their campaign off in the tournament. Despite this achievement, Virender Sehwag believes Dhoni will not place too much emphasis on it.
During Star Sports’ post-match analysis, Sehwag was asked a question about his opinion on MS Dhoni’s milestone accomplishment, to which he replied:
“If you ask MS Dhoni, he will ask what difference it makes, whether he has scored 5000, 3000 or 7000 runs, the important thing is to win the trophy, which he has done. I don’t think he goes after or thinks about milestones.”
“I was also like that. Who knows how many runs have been scored but it is true that these numbers are remembered later. When you retire, it is remembered that this player scored so many runs in the IPL.”
Sehwag was full of praise for Dhoni, who reached the milestone while batting in the lower part of the order. He added:
“The expectation is that the top-order batters will score the most runs. MS Dhoni comes in the middle order or lower-middle order and he has scored 5000 runs. No player might be able to score so many runs while playing at that number. He is consistent, scores runs and wins matches for his team. He is a very big player.”
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has become the seventh player and fifth Indian to score over 5,000 runs in the Indian Premier League. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Suresh Raina are the other Indians who have passed this milestone.
“His longevity will always be praised”: Irfan Pathan on MS Dhoni
Irfan Pathan was further asked about MS Dhoni’s ability to score difficult runs in crucial moments, to which he said:
“You need to have the ability to soak the pressure and along with that the power game, which he has. When he stands in the middle, it seems an extremely powerful person is standing with strong shoulders and wrists. He has an amazing backlift and the speed at which the bat comes down is amazing. His longevity will always be praised.”
