IPL 2021: 'Back Dhoni's assessment no matter what,' says Vettori after CSK's win over SRH

Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori hailed MS Dhoni and his judgment of the Delhi pitch, saying "back Dhoni's assessment no matter what."

Vettori's comments came after Chennai Super Kings' seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday. At the toss, Dhoni said the pitch looked tacky and that turned out to be true as SRH batters struggled in the first innings. The SRH skipper David Warner, who is one of the best hitters in the format, played out 55 balls for his 57. The Australian even acknowledged that his slow batting was one of the reasons behind SRH's loss to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Delhi.

"We were looking to bowl first. Looks a bit tacky and the boys who practiced yesterday said there was quite a bit of dew," Dhoni had said at the toss.

SRH went on to post 171 for 3, courtesy of some late hitting from Manish Pandey (61 off 46), Kane Williamson (26 not out off 10), and Kedar Jadhav (12 not out off 4). The pitch eased out a lot by the time CSK's chase began and that allowed the openers to take away the game from the Orange Army.

"Should back Dhoni's assessment no matter what, I think that's what we've learned from all of this," Vettori told ESPNcricinfo when asked about whether Dhoni judged the Delhi wicket perfectly.

"I think Sam Curran bowled well upfront I think he got the important wicket of Jonny Bairstow and because of the way SRH are set up when they lose one of their opening batters, they can at times look a bit tentative. We saw how Warner just kept hitting fielders and combined with some good bowling from CSK They used their resources pretty well," Vettori added.

CSK's opening batsmen Faf du Plessis and Rituraj Gaikwad shared a 129-run stand for the first wicket before the latter got out in the 13th over. Two overs later, Moeen Ali was sent back after he scored a quick-fire 15 off 6 balls. In the following over, du Plessis departed after scoring 56 off 38. All the three wickets went to SRH's ace spinner Rashid Khan.

In the end, Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina sealed the game for CSK as they remained unbeaten on 7 off 6 and 17 off 15 respectively. CSK defeated SRH with seven wickets and nine balls to spare. With the win on Wednesday, CSK reclaimed their spot at the top of the IPL 2021 table, pushing Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to second place.

In a post-match interview, Dhoni praised his boys, saying since CSK have not changed their core for almost eight to 10 years so all the players understand the team's approach very well.

"The batting was superb. But that doesn't mean the bowling was not good. It was a surprisingly good wicket. Whenever we come to Delhi, we never expect a wicket like this. It was coming on nicely, there was nothing for the spinners as well. The good thing was there was no dew. Last night we felt 170 was just below par if there's no dew. Brilliant opening partnership. Addressing the problem (how the change from last season). Whenever you start the tournament, you may or may not face issues in playing XI. The earlier you settle the better. Another factor was 5-6 months we were out of cricket. Nothing was allowed. It's not that you could go on your own and practice. That also makes it difficult. Change of quarantine was slightly longer. A lot of factors.

Overall if I have to sum it up, the players have taken more responsibility this year. You will be facing adverse things but ultimately it boils down to how each individual rises to the occasion and gives the extra 10 percent for the team. Last 8-10 years we've not changed a lot of players so they know our approach. Also, we appreciate the players not playing a lot. The only way you can put it forward is by having those nice interactions. Just try to have the frame of mind where if you get the opportunity, you'll be ready. Keeping the dressing room atmosphere healthy is important. It's not an easy thing. When you're at the top level you want to play. Have to give extra credit to the players who've not played so far," added Dhoni.