The Indian Premier League match between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals in Abu Dhabi on Monday marked the 200th appearance of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the cash-rich Twenty20 extravaganza, but, as is his wont, the CSK skipper played down the milestone, saying he was oblivious to it.
"You spoke about it and that's how I got to know," he told presenter Danny Morrison at the toss.
The two-time World Cup-winning captain added, "It feels good, but at the same time it's just a number. I feel fortunate to play for such a long time without many injuries."
In a match that is important for both the teams, CSK won the toss and opted to bat at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
Dhoni is captaining Chennai Super Kings since the inception of the IPL in 2008. When the franchise was suspended for two years, he represented Rising Pune Supergiant.
Earlier this month, he overtook Suresh Raina (194 games) to become the player with most appearances.
In 199 games, the former India captain has amassed 4,568 runs, which includes 23 fifties, with a highest score of 84 not out. His strike-rate reads 137.67.
With 215 maximums, Dhoni also ranks third in the list of big-hitters in the tournament after Chris Gayle (333 sixes) and AB de Villiers (231 sixes).
However, this season, he has scored just 136 runs in nine outings going into Monday’s fixture against the Royals.
