News Analysis India

Tag: MS Dhoni

  • WATCH | MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina fine-tune skills in CSK’s training session

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: Ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star players MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina were seen fine-tuning their skills in a practice-session held on Wednesday.

    On Thursday, CSK posted a video on Twitter in which Dhoni and Raina can be seen going through various drills and the duo also had a hit with the bat in the middle.

    When Sam Curran came out for a batting session, Raina and Dhoni were keenly watching from the back and the duo also shared a laugh.

    “07:03 Anbu Moments,” CSK wrote as the caption.

    07:03 Anbu Moments! #Yellove #WhistlePodu @msdhoni @ImRaina pic.twitter.com/eJ1pdDuLMt
    — Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 1, 2021

    Raina had missed IPL 2020 due to personal reasons, but he is back this year to lend more solidarity to the batting lineup.

    On Wednesday, Moeen Ali had said that CSK has a calm tone to it and he also said that every player in the world wants to play under the leadership of MS Dhoni. Moeen Ali was bought by CSK for INR 7 crore in the players’ auction held in February 2021.

    ALSO READ | IPL 2021 SWOT analysis: After last year’s low, there is lot to gain for CSK

    “I think what differentiates CSK from other teams is actually how they structure everything… from the squad they have to the way they do things. They look a very calm franchise that doesn’t panic,” the official website of CSK quoted Moeen as saying.

    “I’ve spoken to players who have played under MS and they tell me how he improves their game. I believe a great captain does that. I think it’s something on every player’s wish list to play under MS. I think it’s the confidence and the clarity he gives people. It’s exciting,” he added.

    IPL 2021 is slated to commence on April 9 with Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) locking horns in the tournament opener. CSK will play its first match on April 10 against Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

    Dhoni has led CSK to IPL title thrice (2010, 2011, and 2018). The franchise had finished at the seventh spot last season and it was the first time, that the side failed to qualify for the playoffs.

  • IPL 2021 SWOT analysis: After last year’s low, there is lot to gain for CSK

    By PTI
    CHENNAI: The return of Suresh Raina could boost the batting department but spin-reliant Chennai Super Kings will have to adapt to conditions which may assist pacers as they seek to improve upon their nightmarish show of last season.

    Three-time champions CSK had a flop show last season, avoiding the wooden spoon thanks to a few victories at the back-end of the league phase as they failed to make the play-offs for the first time in the tournament’s history.

    Here is a look at what works and what doesn’t for the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led team, which opens its campaign by taking on Delhi Capitals in Mumbai on April 10.

    STRENGTHS:

    CSK have oodles of experience, which will stand them in good stead in crucial situations.

    The inspirational leadership of Dhoni is another advantage for the team.

    The return of Raina will strengthen the batting unit which faltered far too often in last year’s IPL in the UAE.

    A batting line-up of Raina, along with Faf du Plessis, Dhoni, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, new recruit Moeen Ali and fast improving Ruturaj Gaikwad could prove a handful for rival bowling attacks and big scores could set the platform for the bowlers to do their job.

    With the likes of Lungi Ngidi, Shardul Thakur, Curran, Deepak Chahar in the line-up, CSK have a decent bowling unit to test the best of batsmen in opposition ranks.

    WEAKNESSES:

    A team comprising ageing stars proved CSK’s undoing last season and they have stuck pretty much to the core squad.

    In the fast-paced world of T20s, senior stars could prove to be a handicap.

    With some of the CSK players, including Dhoni, Raina, Rayudu and Tahir having retired from international cricket and not playing domestic games, lack of match time could hurt the team.

    That apart, the captain’s waning finishing powers has not helped the team’s cause.

    The decision of Australian pace ace Josh Hazelwood to pull out of the IPL to give himself rest ahead of the hectic international season ahead will be a blow for CSK.

    Also, Ravindra Jadeja is returning from a long injury break and how soon he gets back to his best will have to be seen.

    Veteran Trinidad all-rounder Dwayne Bravo’s diminishing returns apart from his injury problems would worry CSK.

    With this year’s IPL matches to be played at neutral venues, CSK, which rely so much on spin, will have to alter their strategy, especially in Mumbai where the wickets may also have something for pacers.

    The spin bowling department has experienced and skilful operators but the think-tank needs to get the combination right.

    Imran Tahir spent most of last season on the bench and the others like Piyush Chawla and Karn Sharma were ineffective.

    OPPORTUNITIES:

    After a forgettable 2020 season where they finished seventh, things can only go north for Dhoni and his men.

    Known to be slow starters, the Super Kings would need to be at their best from the beginning to make an impact and also get the combination right.

    THREATS: Poor batting let down CSK last season in the UAE and if they don’t rework their tactics, it could hamper their chances yet again.

    The pace bowlers will need to step up big time if the three-time champions are to put up a good show, else it would be another tough season for Dhoni & Co.

    CSK Squad:

    Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, KM Asif, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, N Jagadeesan, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Sam Curran, R Sai Kishore, Moeen Ali, K Gowtham, Cheteshwar Pujra, Harishankar Reddy, Bhagath Varma, C Hari Nishanth.

  • CSK training camp for IPL-2021 likely from March 9 

    By PTI
    CHENNAI: Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has landed here to take part in the team’s training camp likely to begin on March 9 in the lead-up to the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

    The former India captain arrived here late on Wednesday and will serve a five-day quarantine.”

    READ HERE | MS Dhoni arrives in Chennai for IPL

    Former India batsman Ambati Rayudu also reached Chennai on Wednesday while the Tamil Nadu players in the squad will be joining a little later.

    The camp is likely to get underway from March 9, CSK CEO K S Viswanathan said, adding the players who are available would take part in it.

    “Yeah… the camp is likely to start from March 9. Whoever is available would take part in the training sessions,” he told PTI.

    “The players will undergo five-day quarantine before they start training. Also, they will have to return three negative tests..,” he added.

    The Indian players in the CSK will be a part of the camp, he said, adding they would be arriving in batches.

    The schedule and venues for the 14th edition of IPL have not been confirmed yet.

    CSK, during the recent mini auction earlier this year, picked up England all-rounder Moeen Ali for Rs 7 crore, apart from Karnataka all-rounder K Gowtham (for Rs 9.25 crore) and Cheteshwar Pujra (Rs 50 lakh).

    It also roped in a few others including Tamil Nadu batsman C Hari Nishaanth, Harishankar Reddy and Bhagath Varma (all for Rs 20 lakh).

    The team did not fare well in the last IPL, failing to qualify for the play-offs for the first time ever.

  • Bird flu jolts ‘Captain Cool’ MS Dhoni’s Kadaknath chicken farming dream

    By Express News Service
    BHOPAL: Former Indian cricket team skipper MS Dhoni’s dream of Kadaknath breed chicken farming at his sprawling farm in Ranchi has been hit by the bird flu outbreak in Madhya Pradesh.

    Samples from the Kadakanth chicken farm operated by local Kadaknath farmer Vinod Meda in the Jhabua district have tested positive for the killer Avian Influenza virus.

    It was Meda who had reportedly got an order for the supply of 2,000 Kadaknath chicks to the farm owned by Dhoni in Ranchi. Dhoni’s farm managers had also credited advance sums into Meda’s bank account for the supply of the chicks.

    It was in August 2020 that Dhoni’s farm managers had got in touch with Meda through the Krishi Vikas Kendra (KVK) and MP Kadaknath mobile phone app. Subsequently, Meda had secured the order.

    Confirming the development, the state’s director (animal husbandry) Dr RK Rokde said on Tuesday that four-five days ago, samples of Kadaknath chicken from a poultry farm in the Jhabua district had been sent to the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD-Bhopal).

    “We received a letter from NIHSAD Bhopal on Tuesday informing that Kadaknath chicken samples from that poultry farm in Runipada village of Jhabua district’s Thandla block have tested positive for the Bird flu causing H5N1 virus,” Dr Rokde said.

    “Subsequently, the deputy director (animal husbandry) in Jhabua district has been directed to act in the matter as per the central government’s Bird flu Action Plan 2021, which includes culling, compensation, disposal of poultry, feed material, eggs, etc. Clean-up and the disinfection-sanitization process will also be subsequently initiated at the concerned poultry farm. Further, treating the one km radius of the farm as Infected Zone, the chicks in the other poultry farms of the infected zone will also be culled,” he added.

    ALSO READ | MP’s black chicken variety Kadaknath wins over Captain Cool MS Dhoni

    The re-stocking and commercial movement of chicks aged up to three months will be banned in the infected zone. Further, a 9 km area in the radius of the infected zone will be treated as a surveillance zone owing to which surveillance and sample collection of chicks from farms and shops will take place.

    Acting on the directives from Bhopal, an official team headed by Jhabua district deputy director (animal husbandry) Wilson Dabar and Tehsildar (Thandla) Shakti Singh Chauhan led a team to Meda’s farm in the evening at Runipada’s village. The team culled 799 Kadaknath chicken from Meda’s farm. A total of 935 Kadaknath chicken (including 135 chickens which had already died due to the killer virus before the team arrived) from the concerned were subsequently disposed of as per the standard safety protocol.

    Totally devastated, the young farmer Vinod Meda had tears in his eyes. “I’m totally devastated, I had to supply the chicks to MS Dhoni’s farm in Ranchi on January 10, but a week before that my Kadaknath chickens and chicks started dying suddenly. I lost up to 2,500 chicks-chicken due to it. I reported the matter to local administration, after which samples from my farm were sent for testing in Bhopal. I got to know about the Bird flu confirmation report this evening only,” Medha said.

    Also known as ‘Kali Masi’, the black chicken variety ‘Kadaknath’ is a unique chicken breed that’s black in colour, which is found in the tribal-dominated Jhabua district of MP’s Bheelanchal region. The Kadaknath chicken meat from Jhabua had also got GI tag in 2018 after a legal battle with Chhattisgarh. This chicken variety is believed to possess inherent medicinal properties with high protein and low cholesterol and fat content when compared to other chicken varieties.

    According to state Director (Animal Husbandry) Dr. RK Rokde, “Following Tuesday’s development, Jhabua district has become our state’s first district, where indigenously bread chicks-chicken samples at a poultry farm have been found to be Bird flu positive. Earlier, in three districts, Indore, Neemuch, and Agar-Malwa, swab samples of chicken extracted from tables and knives of chicken-poultry shops in the market had been found Avian Influenza positive. All those shops stored chicken sourced from farms outside MP.”

    Following this, nearly 500 chickens at shops in the infected zone of Indore, Agar-Malwa, and Neemuch districts were culled and disposed of.

    The Bird flu outbreak has now been confirmed in 19 districts of MP following the deaths of around 1400 crows, bagula (heron) and other birds.