‘Dhoni regrets it, wishes he didn’t do it’: Uthappa on CSK great’s infamous act | Cricket

The Sawai Mansingh Stadium was decked up. The pink city of Jaipur was ready to get a splash of yellow – all for MS Dhoni. He was returning to the venue after four long years and perhaps for the last time as a professional cricketer. There was a loud cheer – way louder compared to when home team skipper Sanju Samson won the toss – when MS Dhoni was asked to share his thoughts at toss time. The stadium was buzzing, it was CSK’s yellow dominating Rajasthan Royals’ pink.

It was hard to believe that at this very ground, four years ago when Dhoni was playing against RR, he did something ungainly, unexpected. Something which in former India cricketer Robin Uthappa’s words, he ‘regrets’.

In an IPL 2019 match between CSK and RR at Jaipur, Dhoni (58) and Ambati Rayudu (57) rescued CSK from a precarious 24 for 4. It boiled down to CSK needing 18 runs off the last over with Dhoni and Jadeja in the crease. Jadeja hit a six off the first ball to make matters interesting but Ben Stokes, then a part of RR, go the all-important breakthrough of Dhoni in the third ball of the over.

But the drama had only begun. Mitchell Santer walked in to replace Dhoni. CSK needed 8 off 3 balls. Stokes tried a slower one which slipped out of his hand and resulted in a waist-high full toss. Umpire Ullas Gandhe rightly put his hand up to signal a no-ball but was overruled by square-leg umpire Bruce Oxenford.

This is where the problem started. Generally, the square-leg umpire is the one deciding no-balls on height but he doesn’t have the right to overturn the straight umpire’s call.

Seeing the umpires change their decision, a livid Dhoni made his way into the ground and argued with them. He, however, was unsuccessful as the umpires did not change their decision and Stokes’ full toss was deemed a legitimate delivery.

Thanks to Santer, the call did not hurt CSK as the left-hander hit a last-ball six to snatch a win for CSK. Dhoni, who was declared Player of the Match for his superb knock, was criticised for his uncalled-for act of storming inside the ground to argue with the umpires.

Recalling the incident ahead of the RR vs CSK match on Thursday, Uthappa said Dhoni regrets his move. “I spoke to him about that actually. He said to me ‘I just got out and I was really upset. I came out and stood there. I saw the straight umpire putting his hand up for the no-ball’. The straight umpire is the one who controls the game. He was like ‘once you have called a no-ball, you can’t take it back’. In that heat of the moment, he went inside the ground. He regrets it. He says ‘I wish I didn’t do it’,” he said on Jio Cinema.

“I was sitting right behind him. I was like where is he going? I have never seen him like this,” said Suresh Raina, who was a part of the CSK XI in that match.