IPL 2023: Had heard stories, watched crowd go crazy first-hand - Conway on Dhoni walking out to bat at Chepauk

IPL 2023: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener Devon Conway has described his experience of watching MS Dhoni come out to bat at the MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk) in Chennai. The New Zealand cricketer has said that the noise in the stadium was so loud that hearing oneself was also impossible.

Notably, the 41-year-old CSK captain walked in the middle with just five balls remaining in the match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 3. Dhoni straightaway smoked two back-to-back-sixes off Purple Cap holder Mark Wood before getting out while trying to send the third delivery out of the park.

Dhoni's 12 off 3, fired CSK to 171/7 which they defended by 12 runs to register their first win of the IPL 2023 season. Conway has stated that experiencing the crowd reaction on Dhoni's Chepauk entrance was special and amazing.

Everyone's a fan when Thala walks out!#WhistlePodu #Yellove 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/pGbAAQIios

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 11, 2023

“It was special to see MS walk out of the Chepauk stadium. You hear a lot of stories about the crowd going crazy when he walks out to bat. And experiencing that yesterday firsthand, being there was special. I mean, it was so loud I literally couldn’t hear myself.

“Execute his first ball, hit it for six and then his second ball hit an even bigger six. I mean not many players in the world can do that. So, yeah it was amazing to be there and experience that in person. And yes, it was just special to watch it first hand," Conway said in a video posted by CSK.

CSK's South African pacer Dwaine Pretorius has also shared his experience of watching Dhoni go out to bat in Chennai. He doffed his hat to the former India captain for delivering on the expectations amidst tremendous pressure.

“For me, sitting there on the side yesterday seeing him go out obviously, everyone’s cheering. And I can’t even imagine the amount of pressure that will be on his shoulders. One of the best finishers ever in the world. And it’s so pleasing to see that he still can perform," he said.

Four-time champions CSK have won two of their first three matches in IPL 2023. The side will play against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Wednesday. The match will be played at Chepauk from 7:30 PM IST.