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As the 2021 season of Indian Premier League gets set to resume on September 19, all eyes will be on Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians who will be locking horns in the first match of the UAE leg. The top two sides of the tournament, whose match-up is often regarded as IPL's El Clasico, always produce some of the most thrilling matches and it is expected to be nothing short of any entertainment this time around as well.
Both MI and CSK were the first two sides to land in UAE and begin their preparations for the remainder of the season. However, the captains of both sides have had very contrasting last few weeks. On one side, Rohit Sharma had been playing Test cricket for India in England where he looked in sensational form. Meanwhile, his counterpart MS Dhoni has been practicing vigorously to the nets and it seems to be reaping rewards for the captain of CSK.
MSD looks in good form ahead of IPL 2021 resumption
In a footage recently released by the franchise, the 40-year-old looks in extremely good form as he can be seen playing some glorious shots all over the park. Interestingly, Dhoni also unleashes his famous 'helicopter shot' where he uses his wrists beautifully to smash a yorker down the square leg region for a boundary.
While the shot was already praiseworthy, it was Eric Simmons' reaction which made the moment even more interesting as he signaled the boundary in pauses, very similar to how Kiwi umpire Billy Bowden used to act at times.
The video also comprises of other big shots from MSD while Simmons can be seen absolutely enjoying the action from best seat in the house.
Watch the video here:
Can Thala redeem himself in second half of season?
It was a very tricky first half of the season for MS Dhoni as he struggled to find his rhythm, having been out of the game for so long. The CSK skipper could only score 37 runs in 7 matches and seemed to be struggling quite a lot with timing. However, with him getting some much-needed practice ahead of the second phase of season, fans would be hoping for a turnaround in MSD's form as the Yellow Army aims to win their 4th IPL title this year.