When Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) fielding coach
Jonty Rhodes
was announcing the 'best fielder' award after the team's win over Chennai Super Kings in
IPL 2024
on Friday, everybody in the dressing room expected him to pick the player who made a stunning effort to stop runs or take a catch. But instead he picked a dropped catch by
Deepak Hooda
because it kept MS Dhoni in the dugout for five more deliveries.
While trying to catch an aerial hit by Ravindra Jadeja at the long-on fence, Hooda could only manage to tip it over the bar, and the ball landed over the boundary ropes for a six. But Rhodes analysed it as a good effort because it prevented Dhoni from walking in as the next batsman.
IPL 2024: POINTS TABLE | RESULTS
"Fielding award is not just about brilliant performances, fielding is about awareness," said Rhodes in a video posted by LSG on microblogging platform 'X'.
"In the yellow team (Chennai) they have this guy MSD. He is striking it at 400 strike rate. I think it was a real smart decision by birthday boy Deepak Hooda to let the ball go for six. That meant Dhoni didn't come up for another five balls," said Rhodes as the room broke into a hearty laughter, claps and cheeky shouts of 'clever thinking'.
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"That is magical! So the award goes to Deepak Hooda," Rhodes concluded before walking up to hug Hooda and present him with the award.
When Dhoni eventually came in, the former CSK and India captain bludgeoned 28 runs off just 9 balls, including 2 sixes and 3 fours, to confirm Rhodes's fear.
CSK went on to make 176 for 6, but it didn't prove enough as LSG raced home to win by a comfortable margin of eight wickets, thanks to half-centuries by openers KL Rahul (82 off 53 balls) and Quinton de Kock (54 off 43 balls).
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