When MS Dhon is on the crease in the final over of the match, it's the bowler who is under pressure, no matter the score that is on the board to defend. As Dhoni and Sandeep Sharma squared off during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, it was the pacer who emerged on top. Despite being hit for two sixes in the over, Sandeep managed to help RR secure a 3-run win. After the match, he opened up on the duel with CSK skipper Dhoni.
Sandeep executed some inch-perfect yorkers in the final over, but Dhoni flammed the first one across the rope for a 6. Despite seeing his first yorker producing such a result, Sandeep kept believing in his strategy. The veteran seamer said that if it wasn't for Dhoni, even the first six wouldn't have been executed.
"I have been working with him on yorkers and it is coming nicely. I also think that the ball that was hit for six, the first one, was a tough ball, but only because it was Mahi bhai, he was able to hit it. So, I feel I executed nicely, but obviously, it is always nice to end up on the right side," he said in a video posted by IPL.
"The wicket was a bit slow, the spinners had bowled really well. Thanks to you that there were runs left to defend in the final over. So, I thought that I would start off with a slow bouncer, but that did not turn out well at all. That was not only a wide, but also one bouncer for the over, so I did not have too many options left," he added.
Sandeep went from over the wicket to around the wicket after being dispatched for two sixes by Dhoni. His last-ball yorker gave him the desired result, with the CSK skipper only managing to score a solitary single.
"The next ball I went for a yorker, but that also went for a wide. But I still backed myself, because I was looking to bowl to the bigger side of the ground. But when I went for two sixes in a row, I realized that I should change the angle. For the last ball, I backed myself to bowl the yorker, I bowl it well in the nets," revealed the RR pacer.