"I wanted to change the angle and bowl outside off" - Sandeep Sharma on bowling the final over to MS Dhoni

Published at :April 13, 2023 at 5:46 AM

Modified at :April 13, 2023 at 5:46 AM

Sandeep Sharma defended 21 runs against the likes of MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja in the last over to help RR beat CSK.

Rajasthan Royals pacer Sandeep Sharma held his nerve to hand his side a three-run win in a dramatic final over against the Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday at the Chepauk. The right-arm seamer revealed that going around the wicket made a massive difference as he restricted MS Dhoni from hitting boundaries.

Despite needing 21 to win off the final over, the Super Kings left no stone unturned in going for it. Skipper MS Dhoni smashed two sixes as Sharma's attempted yorkers turned into full tosses. Since going around the wicket, he conceded no boundaries as the Royals overcame the might of Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja.

Opening up on his plans after the thrilling win, the 29-year-old stated that he wanted to bowl yorkers on the batters' heels and that coming around the wicket made the difference. He told the host broadcaster:

"I just wanted to execute my yorkers. Was bowling good yorker in the nets. Was trying to bowl the yorker on the heel but I missed. So I went around the wicket, and the results came. While bowling to Jadeja I wanted to take the ball out of his reach. To Mahi bhai, I wanted to change the angle and bowl outside off."

Jos Buttler top-scores for the Rajasthan Royals before Sandeep Sharma's heroics

The inaugural IPL champions reached a competitive 175 on the back of Jos Buttler's 36-ball 52. The likes of Sanju Samson, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Shimron Hetmyer also made critical contributions. Akash Singh, Tushar Deshpande, and Ravindra Jadeja picked up two wickets each for the Super Kings.

As far as the hosts are concerned, Devon Conway made a half-century, but felt the pressure as the Super Kings kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Jadeja and Dhoni tried their level best, but their efforts went in vain. With two more wickets, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is now the purple cap holder. It was also the Yellow Brigade's second loss in IPL 2023.