As the captain of CSK in his 200th IPL game, MS Dhoni almost accomplished what he has been achieving for years. Dhoni’s tried-and-true strategy has always been to take the game deep and then surprise the opposition. However, Sandeep Sharma is to blame for it not working this time. The CSK team was reduced to 113/6 in 15 overs while chasing 176 to win. With a half-century stand, Dhoni and Jadeja reenergized CSK and carried it to the final over needing 21 runs to win. When five were needed, Dhoni hit two sixes and held on until the final ball. But in the end, RR won another thriller thanks to Sandeep’s accurate yorkers.
Off of 30, CSK needed 63. They were covered in spinners. In his 200th game as the team captain for CSK, the number 8 batsman entered the field. The seasoned pair exhausted the spinners and reduced the total to 40 off the final two overs.
In a 19-run over, Jadeja singled out Jason Holder and pummelling him for two sixes and a four, setting up a classic MS Dhoni finish. With 21 needed to win, Sandeep Sharma was forced into the cage with Dhoni in the penultimate over, and the pressure undoubtedly affected the seamer as he threw two wides. MS Dhoni picked two low full-tosses (attempted yorkers) and dispatched them for sixes after hitting a yorker, reducing the requirement to seven off three with 19 needed off five. Then, after a last-over Dhoni scare, Sharma collected himself and delivered three inch-perfect yorkers while also altering his angle to end the game. While doing so, he propelled his team to the top of the standings while depriving the home crowd of a fairytale conclusion to MS Dhoni’s 200th match as the captain of CSK.
