IPL 2023, CSK vs RR emotional rollercoaster: Sandeep Sharma holds nerve, Moeen Ali can’t hold catches as old teammates turn rivals

Sandeep succeeds, just about
In the final few overs, with MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja at the crease, the commentators in the broadcaster’s Hindi feed gave up any pretence of neutrality, almost willing the ball to the boundary and over it. With the experienced Jason Holder straying in line and length – Jadeja helping himself to two sixes and a four – and Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson opting for the pedestrian Sandeep Sharma to bowl the final over, instead of the quicker Kuldeep Sen, it brought fresh life into the faltering Chennai Super Kings chase.
With 40 needed off two overs, the 19th went for 19, and when the first two balls of the 20th were wides, it showed which team was under more pressure.
Dhoni did what he has been doing for seemingly ages: making it a one-on-one contest. Two successive sixes, after a dot ball, brought the equation down to seven off three, making the chasing team favourites for the honours. This is where Sandeep came into his own, ending the contest with two pinpoint yorkers to deny the home crowd what they had come to watch. If he had succumbed to the pressure of the occasion, a lot of fingers would have been pointed to Samson’s choice for the last over.

WHAT. A. GAME! 👏 👏
Another day, another last-ball finish in #TATAIPL 2023! 😎@sandeep25a holds his nerve as @rajasthanroyals seal a win against #CSK! 👍 👍
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/IgV0Ztjhz8#CSKvRR pic.twitter.com/vGgNljKvT6
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 12, 2023
Tushar Bhaduri
Mutual respect between rivals
Did one just see Sanju Samson bowing to MS Dhoni when he came for the toss? At least, that’s what it seemed like when the two captains shook hands in the middle. It could be an innocuous show of respect for one’s idol, leading his beloved franchise for the 200th time in his own den, and Samson didn’t hide the fact that he holds the Chennai Super Kings skipper in high regard. “Always a pleasure to come to Chepauk to play against CSK and Mahi bhai,” he said. And Dhoni always comes across as a warm and affectionate mentor for youngsters who look up to him.

🚨 Toss Update 🚨
In his 2⃣0⃣0⃣th IPL game as @ChennaiIPL captain, @msdhoni wins the toss & #CSK elect to bowl against the @IamSanjuSamson-led @rajasthanroyals.
Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/IgV0ZtiJJA#TATAIPL | #CSKvRR
..: The crowd erupts as MSD wins the toss 😎 💛 pic.twitter.com/7Y1b4EDKq6
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 12, 2023
Some may feel the gesture takes a bit of competitive edge off the game, and advocate a more hard-nosed approach. But the runs and wickets that matter have to be earned when the match gets underway. Respect for one’s opponent is one of the qualities that make cricket a special game, and doesn’t come in the way of giving one’s absolute best when the contest actually begins. Good to see that some still attach some value to it, even in a high-pressure franchise tournament like the IPL, where the money invested in players becomes a major static.
Tushar Bhaduri
A costly slip
When one has someone of the pedigree of Ajinkya Rahane when it comes to slip fielding, especially for spinners, why would you have anyone else standing there? At least, a skipper of MS Dhoni’s astuteness would be expected to keep that in mind. Moeen Ali, who was entrusted with that responsibility, seemed
genuinely surprised when the two chances came to him. The one of Devdutt Padikkal off Maheesh Theekshana’s bowling came at his bootlaces, while the one of Ravichandran Ashwin in a memorable Ravindra Jadeja over almost hit him in the chest. All this while, Rahane was fielding in the outfield.
One would have expected Dhoni to make the change after the first chance went down, but he still persed with the Englishman on a pitch which had ample in it for the spinners. Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal can be expected to make the most of such a surface, with the option of including Adam Zampa to improve their prospects.
Moeen also missed a relatively easy run-out opportunity and with the ball, gave away 18 runs in his first over with his compatriot Jos Buttler pulling two short-of-length deliveries way into the stands. He didn’t do much with the bat either.
Tushar Bhaduri
Ashwin’s Test match approach kills momentum
There has been plenty of talk of strike rates and Ravichandran Ashwin only added to the debate. Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Shikhar Dhawan, David Warner have got stuck at various points during their respective innings. Ashwin walked in at No.5 after RR lost two quick wickets – Devdutt Padikkal and Sanju Samson – snared Ravindra Jadeja. He walked in before hard-hitting Shimron Hetmyer, so was expected to go after the bowling straight away. But Ashwin’s timing was off. He played some elegant punches and flicks but they were more appropriate for Test cricket rather than T20s. The wicket had slowed down a bit and the ball was not coming onto the bat nicely. But Ashwin didn’t improvise enough. Jos Buttler at the other end also got stuck and suddenly the RR innings lost momentum. Ashwin was sputtering at 17 from 18 balls with one boundary, criminal in this day and age. Something had to give and Ashwin decided to target medium pacer Akash Singh. Two sixes over deep midwicket off consecutive balls was a saving grace for Ashwin but he failed to clear the boundary and was caught in the last ball of the over. Ashwin finished with 30 off 22, but the singles and twos early on really hurt his strike rate and sucked the momentum out of the Royals innings.
Nihal Koshie
Friends and rivals
Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin would have shared the India dressing room on numerous occasions, but it doesn’t prevent them from trying their best to get the better of each other when they are on opposite sides. The two veterans may not be the most showy when it comes to their emotions, but there’s an unmakeable steely resolve in both.
When they faced off in the last over of the Powerplay during Chennai Super Kings’ chase, Rahane decided to take the off-spinner on straight away, stepping down and lofting the ball over the infield, the miscue also landing in the hands of Yuzvendra Chahal running back.

2⃣ fine catches
2⃣ quick wickets
Watch how @rajasthanroyals struck in quick succession 🎥 🔽 #TATAIPL | #CSKvRR pic.twitter.com/LCtZKQFqRt
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 12, 2023
Whenever Ashwin has the ball, the non-striker has to be extra vigilant, and again the tweaker aborted his delivery stride to keep Devon Conway honest. Not to be outdone, Rahane moved away from the stumps just before Ashwin let the ball go.
The next ball resulted in a leading edge that fell short of the bowler. But Rahane grabbed the bragging rights when he stepped out to a length delivery outside off-stump and freed his arms to send the ball soaring over long-off, leaving the bowler wide-mouthed in amazement, before a hint of a smile. Rahane pushed the next one to long-on to deny Ashwin any riposte.
Ashwin though had the last laugh, trapping his former India teammate in front on an attempted sweep, when he returned to the attack in the 10th over.
Tushar Bhaduri