What should MS Dhoni do? IIT Madras question paper asks students to help MSD and CSK at toss

Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 fever is at the highest point with the season entering the playoff stage. With every game becoming vital, making the right call at toss is extremely important. 

As MS Dhoni and his Chennai Super Kings (CSK) took on Mumbai Indians (MI) in the first qualifier, it was not only the teams' managements who were wondering what to do after winning the coin toss. 

Just before the match, the students at the reputed Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras were asked to help MS Dhoni make a decision based on the scientific facts and figures.  The students of IIT Madras (IIT-M) were asked to make the call during an examination.

In the first question of the Material and Energy Balances paper, students taking the end-of-semester exam were asked to help the CSK captain, MS Dhoni, to choose whether to bat or field if he wins the toss in his next Indian Premier League match. 

“Dew can play a major role in day-night matches. Excessive dew in the outfield makes the ball wet. For spinners, the challenge is to grip the wet ball and get it to impart spin. For fast bowlers, it is difficult to hit the desired length. Hence, this can put the fielding team at a disadvantage. During IPL 2019, Chennai Super Kings are likely to play a qualifier at Chepauk Stadium on May 7. As per the weather forecast on May 7, the relative humidity in Chennai is expected to be 70 percent. The temperature at the start of the game is expected to be 39 degrees. At the beginning of the second innings, the temperature is expected to drop to 27 degrees. Based on this info, if Dhoni wins the toss would you recommend batting or fielding first. Justify your answer,” read the question.

The question paper has since gone viral with the ICC tweeting about it.

“Shout out to Professor Vignesh at @iitmadras for making exams relevant to important, real-life issues! Can anyone help @msdhoni and @ChennaiIPL make a decision before the toss tomorrow? (and show your workings),” ICC tweeted.

Shout out to Professor Vignesh at @iitmadras for making exams relevant to important, real-life issues!

Can anyone help @msdhoni and @ChennaiIPL make a decision before the toss tomorrow? (and show your workings) pic.twitter.com/8fp7rGI5BG

— ICC (@ICC) May 6, 2019

Professor Vignesh Muthuvijayan explained that he set the question as a way to test students' understanding of psychrometric charts and dew point calculation. 

"I designed the question by including IPL because it just makes the learning experience fun for the students," he was quoted as saying by The News Minute. 

"I am a cricket fan and do watch the games when I get time. But, my classes don't specifically involve cricket references. I try to use any day-to-day reference that can catch the attention of students. Ultimately, the goal is to convey the concept that needs to be learnt," he said.

MS Dhoni won the toss on Tuesday and elected to bat as Chennai posted a modest total of 131/4. Mumbai chased down the target with ease winning the game by six wickets.