Dhoni's onslaught keeps Chennai in top spot

MS Dhoni's late onslaught helped Chennai post an above-average total of 164 to beat Pune by 37 runs on Tuesday.

Chennai's talisman came in after the fall of S Badrinath's wicket, in the 16th over, with the score on 103. He wasted no time and smashed the first two balls he faced for a four and a six. The latter was a punch off the back foot, over extra cover.

That was just the start. He, then, took apart Ashok Dinda, a bowler he is often criticised for not giving enough chances. He hit him for a six and a four off the 18th over and then repeated the dose in the 20th by smashing him for a six and a four off the last two balls of the innings.

In all, Dhoni scored 45 from 16 balls, which included four fours and three sixes. But that, and the innings of Suresh Raina and Badrinath, helped Chennai mount a respectable 164.

"The platform was there and we needed those runs," Dhoni said in the post-match press conference. "We thought we slowed down in the middle. With wickets like these we don't know what is a good target. I think we did well to get 164 runs.

"I think Badri and Raina were batting well. Since we had wickets in hand, I played some big shots and I connected them. So it was a very good response from the batting side."

His counterpart Aaron Finch said Dhoni's innings swung it in Chennai's favour. "It's always hard to stop MS in the end and Suresh was playing beautifully. We had good plans, till the last five overs we had it under control, but then just too many runs."

Rajasthan's teenage wicketkeeper, Sanju Samson's quickfire 63 from 41 balls helped his side beat a start-studded Bangalore, by four wickets, on Monday.

Chasing 172, Rajasthan stuttered at the start and lost opener Ajinkya Rahane for just two. What followed caught Bangalore off-guard, with Samson being promoted up-the-order to raise the tempo.

It worked like a dream as Samson dispatched the first two deliveries, stylishly, for four. An over later Chris Gayle grassed Samson in the slips and he made them pay. He, again, smashed Kumar for consecutive boundaries in the sixth over.

Bangalore broke the Rahul Dravid-Samson combine in the seventh over, when the former was dismissed. But that didn't stop the latter, as he clubbed Murali Kartik for consecutive sixes in the eighth over.

Buoyed by some wayward bowling, Samson and Shane Watson put on a 68-run partnership for the third wicket. The duo brought their side closer home before Samson was dismissed in the 15th over, only after the damage had been done.

"I was not nervous, I just backed myself and played my natural game," Samson said. "The field was up so I tried to play according to it.

"I was told by the captain and coach that I would be batting up the order, so I planned my innings and I executed it well."

Dravid said he was happy with the overall performance. "This was a really good performance. We were on the back foot in the first six but we pulled it back."