Shivam Dube has revealed that both he and Ravindra Jadeja were certain they could lead Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to victory in the final over of the IPL 2023 final. In that match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the Gujarat Titans had set a challenging target of 215 runs.
However, thanks to Jadeja’s boundary on the last ball, CSK clinched their fifth IPL title, sharing the record, as the target was adjusted to 171 runs in 15 overs due to rain.
During the AakashVani program on Jio Cinema, Aakash Chopra inquired with Dube about the events in the final over, and in reply, Dube said:
“13 runs were required off the last over. Both me and Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) are power-hitters. So we knew we would win the match. There was a feeling from within that we would win the match for sure but we hadn’t thought who would hit.”
The all-rounder from CSK reminisced about Mohit Sharma delivering four outstanding deliveries to commence the over. He mentioned:
“Mohit Sharma bowled a very good yorker on the first ball. I said it’s fine as it was a question of one big shot and the bowler would come under pressure when that happens. Then he bowled four good balls, where only three runs were scored.”
The seamer from the Gujarat Titans delivered a scoreless ball when there were 13 runs needed from the final over. Subsequently, he allowed singles on the following three deliveries, tilting the advantage in favor of the defending champions as they approached the last two balls.
“There was a positive response from both ends” – Shivam Dube’s thoughts on the last two deliveries
Shivam Dube highlighted that both batsmen remained optimistic about securing the victory, even though they faced a challenging task. He went on to explain:
“I said what’s going to happen as we needed 10 runs off the last two balls. Jaddu just shook his head and I also went there and shook my head.”
“The feeling was there that we had to win the match. There was a positive response from both ends. I had the feeling that we would win and he had the feeling that we would hit.”
The Mumbai-based player mentioned that both he and Ravindra Jadeja maintained their previous body language, even after the latter smashed a six off the second-to-last ball. He stated:
“Then he hit a six off the fifth ball. I said that the game had totally changed. Four runs were required off the last ball and I saw them chilling Mohit bhai. Both of us again shook our heads. I said it would happen somehow or the other.”
Dube finished by reflecting on his mindset just before Jadeja struck the last ball for a boundary. He described:
“There was another thing in my mind that generally three or four runs are not run in the IPL. I thought the ground was big and it might go in the gap, so I might have to run fast.”
“I had kept that as the last option. I had kept myself ready to run. When it hit his bat, I ran fast, but then I saw that it had gone to the boundary and I didn’t need to run.”
Jadeja scored an unbeaten 15 from six balls, while Dube stayed not out with 32 from 21 deliveries. They successfully managed CSK’s chase of 22 runs in the final 13 balls after Dhoni’s golden duck.
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