The story of Sandeep Sharma: from the failure of the IPL auction to the end of the onslaught of MS Dhoni

Everything was set for another MS Dhoni Masterclass in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 on Thursday. With the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) needing 54 runs out of 18 balls, the balance tilted slightly in favor of the Rajasthan Royals, but the roar of the home crowd at MA Chidambaram Stadium told a different story. Dhoni was on a roll and the CSK fans were full of confidence that Tala would work their magic again. 14 runs came from 18^th more and 19 runs out of 19^th as the equation continued to improve for CSK. Since Dhoni was hitting sixes for fun, it seemed that the match was approaching only one finish. It was as if a fairy tale involving one of Chennai’s favorite sons was unfolding in front of a packed crowd of people in a yellow jersey with diehard fans, but unfortunately no one gave the script to Sandeep Sharma.

Sharma, who was given responsibility for winning the final, is no stranger to the tournament. The Patiala-based athlete made his IPL debut back in 2011, and over the years he has built a reputation for being a reliable but fickle asset. While his years with the Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad produced some brilliant performances, he failed to become indispensable.

As a result, it’s no surprise that the 29-year-old didn’t find buyers at the IPL 2023 auction. Sharma is the sort of bowler who never had express speed, but his movement made him a serious threat to even the best hitters in the world. Even Chris Gale at the height of his explosive power sometimes seemed bothered by the sequential movement that Sharma was known for.

This movement continued to pay rich dividends on the inside, but as the IPL became more of a batters game, teams gradually began to move towards bowlers that are faster and can deliver high-speed pitches on the flattest fields. “Shocked and disappointed” Sharma promised to work hard in an interview immediately after the auction, but his wait was shorter than expected.

Young player Prasidh Krishna was ruled out of the tournament with an injury and the Rajasthan Royals suddenly found themselves looking for a fast bowling option. Sandeep Sharma was brought in to add experience to the all-star bowling alley and he quickly found himself in the thick of things when management chose him to partner with Trent Boult and Jason Holder.

So it’s clear that Sandeep was not a rookie when he went out to win the final. He started with two shots, as the equation for CSK was 19 from six balls.

He then scored a point with a perfectly placed yorker. Both Sandeep Sharma and RR couldn’t have dreamed of a better start. Vera slowly returned to the Rajasthan camp, but after one ball – trouble! Dhoni’s wayward bat-off went to the edge of a thin leg for a six, and the next ball was sent another high through the deep middle of the wicket as well.

There was a lot of pressure on Sharma now, but he decided to change his game plan a bit.

“I maintained my power to perform yorkers. I played well with yorkers in nets. One side of the ground was bigger so I decided to hit the yorkers on the heels (MS Dhoni) but he ended up low full throws and both hit sixes. After that, I changed my plan and went around the gate to change the angle, and it’s great that this gave me a different result, ”he said.

Two brilliant full-length performances followed, and Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja were only able to produce singles from them. It took 5 runs to the final ball and Dhoni towered over the crease.

The hype finally reached its climax, and millions of viewers were glued to their TV screens and mobile phones to see how the story would eventually end. Dhoni looked ready to hit the ball hard, but Sharma came up with an old and reliable weapon – a yorker. He hit a wide yorker and one of the game’s best finishers was only able to play it halfway through the wicket for a single.

At the moment when emotions were running high around him, a beaming smile appeared on Sharma’s face and he simply pointed his finger up as if to capture the moment. Just a few months ago, he hadn’t received a single entry from ten franchises, but on Wednesday, in the spotlight in Chennai, the IPL veteran took a small but important step towards becoming “indispensable.”