Former India batter Robin Uthappa praised MS Dhoni's fitness level on Friday after he displayed his sharp wicketkeeping skills in Chennai Super Kings' IPL 2024 opening match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Comparing Dhoni's intense pre-season fitness regime to that of Roger Federer, Uthappa noted that his former captain had clearly put in a lot of off-season work to prepare for the new IPL campaign.
The star wicketkeeper showed no signs of slowing down in the IPL opener. Dhoni, who recently stepped down as captain, produced a spectacular run-out and took two catches. He showed his quick reflexes to deny boundaries behind the wickets, including a quick dive to his right to stop an inside edge off the bat of Faf du Plessis.
On the final ball of RCB’s innings, Anuj Rawat was run out by Dhoni's underarm throw that hit the stumps. Unaware that Dhoni's delivery was already on its way, Rawat's batting partner Dinesh Karthik attempted a quick single. The crowd at the MA Chidambaram Stadium went wild. The wicketkeeper's sharp work brought back memories of his glory days behind the stumps.
On Friday, Robin Uthappa told JioCinema that Dhoni's knee appears to be in excellent condition, suggesting that he has completed his rehabilitation work privately:
“The fact that he is moving around well just demonstrates his strong work ethic and dedication, similar to Roger Federer’s. Nobody knows how hard Dhoni works, but he turns up ready, just like Federer.”
Although Dhoni's wicketkeeping was impressive in the IPL 2024 opener, pacer Mustafizur Rahman outshone him with the ball for Chennai Super Kings. The Bangladeshi star achieved his best IPL figures to date, taking 4 wickets for just 29 runs.