On 2 October, MS Dhoni batted a total of 14 overs during CSK’s chase of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s 165-run target.
The 39-year-old hadn't got much time in the middle before the innings, having chosen to bat much lower in the order, but with CSK losing their top 3 batsmen by the end of the sixth over, it was down to Dhoni to try and rescue the chase.
Dhoni scored a 36-ball 47 but in the last few over of the innings, he was seen visibly struggling and forced play to be stopped a couple of times, even calling the physio out to the middle. He later said his throat had gotten dry due to the dry weather and therefore he needed breaks for water.
‘I am fine. I tried to get as much time as possible. It’s quite dry over here so the throat gets dry and you start to cough. When you have legal signs, you can take some time off. Other than that, it looks good.”MS Dhoni
CSK went onto lose the game and while Dhoni thought the matter was closed with his ‘I am fine’ comment, a debate was sparked on Twitter with Irfan Pathan posted a cryptic tweet, 12 hours later.
‘Age is just a number for some and for others a reason to be dropped,’ read the Tweet.
At 37, MS Dhoni is one of the oldest players in action in this IPL even though he announced his retirement from international cricket on 15 August, 2020.
Harbhajan Singh also replied to Pathan’s tweet saying he agreed with the former all-rounder.
Incidentally, the 40-year-old Harbhajan was part of the Chennai Super Kings squad for the 2020 IPL season but the spinner pulled out before the start of the season, citing personal reasons.
Twitter users though asked for more clarity on the duo’s tweets:
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)