MS Dhoni's finishing ability is not spoken about as much as his captaincy: R Ashwin on CSK's success

Senior India off-spinner R Ashwin believes MS Dhoni's finishing skills are not talked about as much as his captaincy when it comes to his team Chennai Super Kings (CSK)'s success in the Indian Premier League (IPL). CSK are one of the most successful teams in the history of IPL with four titles to their name and Dhoni has played an instrumental role in making the Men in Yellow a force to reckon with in the league.

Dhoni has been part of the CSK setup since the inception of the IPL in 2008 and has led the team in all twelve seasons that they have been part of the league so far. Having led CSK to four IPL titles and nine final appearances, Dhoni is one of the best captains in the league.

While his remarkable captaincy has been one of the highlights of his glorious IPL career, Dhoni's finishing skills have not been talked about as much. Apart from being a brilliant leader, Dhoni has been a great finisher and has bailed his team out of trouble on several occasions while batting across various positions in the middle-order.

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Regarded as one of the best finishers the game has ever seen, Dhoni has had an immense role to play as a batter in CSK's success in the IPL. Ashwin, who was part of the CSK squad during his initial years in the IPL and has observed Dhoni lead CSK from close quarters, reckoned the legendary wicket-keeper batter's finishing abilities are underrated.

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"Today, people are raving about CSK and their success. A lot is being said about Dhoni's captaincy. However, apart from his captaincy, there is a skill that has taken a back seat over the years, that is not being spoken much about. We always talk about his captaincy, his Midas touch, but his finishing ability with the bat is not spoken about much," Ashwin said in a show on his YouTube channel.

"In a situation where 60 is needed off 20 balls, he goes to the middle and smashes a couple of sixes and a couple of boundaries. He brings down the equation to l5 from the last over. We have seen this quite a few times in this past. CSK loses that game, the campaign would stutter. I have seen such scenarios," he added.

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Ashwin explained how Dhoni helping secure wins from improbable situations during the league stages often helps the team's morale and boosts their confidence going forward in the competition.

"In such games, we have seen Dhoni finishing in the last over, that is an inspiration. That lifts the team morale up. Suddenly from the lower half of the table, CSK would have 10 points from 10 games. That will help transform their campaign," explained Ashwin.

Dhoni has so far played220 matches in his IPL career and has 4746 runs at an average of over 39. He has 23 half-centuries to his name and has scored runs at a strike rate of over 135. Dhoni is CSK's second-highest run-getter of all time after veteran batter Suresh Raina.