MS Dhoni is next to none when it comes to captaincy. The modern-day great's numbers as captain of the Indian team and the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are a testament to his sterling performances.
Dhoni's eye for detail has been one of the hallmarks of his captaincy. However, Dhoni, on Saturday, May 5 suffered a minor-slip at the toss of the ongoing 35th match between CSK and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune.
The 36-year-old, after winning the toss, struggled to remember the changes he had made to his playing XI for the much-anticipated clash between the Southern Indian powerhouses of IPL.
As it turned out, RCB skipper Virat Kohli helped him out at the toss, much to the surprise of Pommie Mbamgwa, who was hosting the toss on a hot afternoon.
Contrary to CSK coach Stephen Fleming's statement, CSK were involved in a lot of "chopping and changing" as they made three changes to the playing XI that lost to Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday, May 3 at Eden Gardens.
It all started when Dhoni conceded remembering team changes is a tough task immediately after Mbangwa asked him about the same. The CSK skipper tried his best to remember all six names but was not able to recollect debutant Dhruv Shorey name and that is when Kohli stepped in.
Notably, CSK had brought in high-rated English all-rounder David Willey, pacer Shardul Thakur and Shorey, replacing Faf du Plessis, KM Asif and Karn Sharma.
RCB were happy to welcome back AB de Villiers into the playing XI as the South African star had missed their last two games due to illness. Kohli also replaced all-rounder Washington Sundar with leg-spinner Murugan Ashwin and Manan Vohra with Parthiv Patel, who will handle the wicketkeeping responsibilities in the absence of Quinton de Kock.
Watch the CSK vs RCB toss below.
Meanwhile, Dhoni chose to field despite temperatures touching 40°C in Pune. The skipper's decision comes after CSK gunned down a mammoth 206-run target in the two teams' early-season meeting at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
