'An honour to share the field' - RR pacer shares heartfelt message for MS Dhoni after grand-stand finish in CSK vs RR IPL fixture

After an exciting Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match on Wednesday, April 12, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, bowler Sandeep Sharma of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) shared a special message for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni. As CSK captain for 200 IPL games, MSD received congratulations from Sharma, who also said it was an honour to bowl to him.

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In yet another game that came down to the final ball, Rajasthan Royals defeated Chennai Super Kings by three runs. With 176 to chase, CSK needed 21 runs off Sharma's last over. The bowler started off with a few wides before being hammered by Dhoni for two sixes. However, the bowler maintained composure and did not allow another boundary as RR narrowly prevailed.

'I wanted to deliver yorkers in the last over' – Sandeep Sharma

Sharma shared his feelings on social media after the victory. On his Twitter account, he praised Dhoni and wrote, "Congratulations @msdhoni paji for the 200 IPL matches. An honour to share the field and bowl to him. Forever grateful. #dreamcometrue."

The Rajasthan Royals scored 175/8 in their first innings after losing the toss and choosing to bat. Jos Buttler hit the most runs with 52 off 36 balls, followed by Devdutt Padikkal (38 off 26), Ravichandran Ashwin (30 off 22), and Shimron Hetmyer (30* off 18). All four players made significant contributions.

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As a response, CSK were limited to 172/6 as spinners Yuzvendra Chahal (2/27) and Ashwin (2/25) smothered the opposition's batting. Ajinkya Rahane added 31 off 19 balls, and Devon Conway of Chennai struck 50 off 38 as the team's leading scorer. After that, CSK lost their direction and couldn't complete the chase despite heroic cameos from MS Dhoni (32* off 17) and Ravindra Jadeja (25* off 15).

Sandeep Sharma revealed his strategy after the game, "I wanted to deliver yorkers in the last over. I was bowling good yorkers in the nets. The leg side was big, but I missed my mark and bowled a couple of low full-tosses, and both went for sixes. Then I changed my angle, and it worked. I bowled over the wicket to Jadeja, and I wanted to keep it away from his reach," he said.