Team India pacer Tushar Deshpande recently recalled a stunning incident from IPL 2024 involving the legendary MS Dhoni. The 30-year-old played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) that year and shared a memorable moment from a game against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Chepauk.

Dhoni had teased the fans by asking Ravindra Jadeja to act as if he was walking out to bat. While the fans assumed Jadeja was actually walking out, it turned out to be a hilarious moment as the all-rounder returned to the pavilion, only for Dhoni to walk out instead. Tushar revealed that it was Dhoni himself who had asked Jadeja to do so and that Dhoni had instructed Tushar to inform Jadeja about the plan.

Tushar recalled how the crowd fell silent while Jadeja acted as if he was walking in. However, the stadium erupted with cheers when Dhoni eventually made his way to the middle. Speaking on Ajinkya Rahane’s YouTube channel, Tushar said,
“I remember when I was at CSK, there was a match against KKR at Chepauk. The crowd wanted Mahi Bhai to bat. I was just sitting there. He told me to go tell Jaddu to just act and not go in. I told Jaddu bhai that Mahi bhai has asked you to just act to go in and he’ll come from behind. I saw the whole scene. When Jaddu got up, the crowd was silent but suddenly when Mahi bhai entered, the stadium erupted. It was kind of funny, kind of goosebumps moment.”

Tushar also reminisced about another moment from IPL 2023 in a game against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Chennai. Dhoni had asked him to be ready to bowl at any moment. Initially, Tushar felt the pressure and anxiety due to the loud crowd, which affected his bowling. However, he overcame the nerves and achieved a dream moment he had envisioned.

He said,
“I remember there was a match against LSG in Chennai. Mahi Bhai told me to be ready as I could bowl anytime. When I took my bowling mark, I felt a little different because the crowd was so loud. I felt uneasy and under pressure. I bowled four wides and a no-ball. It was because of the anxiety and external factors. Then I told myself to face these factors positively and let it go. I had a dream that I wanted a screenshot where it would be like ‘Bowled Tushar Deshpande caught MS Dhoni’. And in that match itself, it was fulfilled.”

In that game, Tushar dismissed Ayush Badoni, who was caught by MS Dhoni. He finished with figures of 2/45 from four overs.

### How COVID Helped Tushar Deshpande Make His IPL Debut

While COVID-19 was an unfortunate phase for many, it proved to be a blessing in disguise for Tushar Deshpande. The left-arm pacer revealed that he was injured just before IPL 2020 was scheduled to start. However, with the tournament postponed from March to August due to the pandemic, he got enough time to recover from his injury and eventually made his IPL debut that year representing Delhi Capitals (DC).

He said,
“I did not expect to make a debut this quick. But my preparation was good. There were many senior bowlers in Delhi Capitals already, so I did not expect to make a debut. It was the COVID year and IPL was postponed from March to August. I was injured in February, so if it had happened in March I would not have been able to play in that IPL. So it was a blessing in disguise for me. I got time to recover from my knee injury.”

Tushar played five games in his debut season and took three wickets. Overall, he has played 46 IPL matches so far, picking up 51 wickets at an average of 31.03 and an economy rate of 9.84.

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*About the author*
Rishab Vm is an Indian sports writer at Sportskeeda covering Kabaddi, Hockey, Indian football, and Olympic sports. With around three years of experience, he has worked with My Khel and interned at The News Minute, Times Network, and Deccan Herald. He holds an MA in Media and Communication Studies. Rishab has also been recognized as ‘Commentator of the Month’ twice and has covered Pro Kabaddi League extensively. A sports enthusiast since the 2020 Olympics, he is inspired by athletes like Neeraj Chopra. When not working, Rishab enjoys playing badminton and football.

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