Over 2 crore viewers watch MS Dhoni play the last over against Rajasthan Royals

It was a quick journey back to the days of neat finishes by former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni when he was on the crease and his team Chennai Super Kings (CSK) needed five of one ball to defeat Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Wednesday. The nostalgia-inspiring spectacle attracted around 2.2 crore people to stick to the screens expecting to watch the past relived live on JioCinema.

For one moment, 2.2 Cr Indians held their breath. Old memories rushed back. A familiar expectation took over.

It didn’t quite end like it used to but for one moment, time stood still for 20 million+ people.

One moment. One MS Dhoni. #IPLonJioCinema #TATAIPL #IPL2023 #CSKvRR pic.twitter.com/joo2Qm24Ve

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) April 12, 2023

Dhoni has many iconic finishes to his name — the best of them all perhaps is the 2011 ODI World Cup final, where he hit a six on the last ball to win the cup.

However, this time things didn’t quite end the same way.

RR seamer Sandeep Sharma, who was bowling the last over, was extremely sharp to not give any loose ball that Dhoni could send over the boundaries.

Watch: Dhoni blasts 2 sixes in final over but Sharma’s yorkers lead RR to victory

Chasing a target of 176, Dhoni (32 off 17 balls) and Ravindra Jadeja (25 off 15 balls), veterans of many such tantalising finishes were on course as 21 was needed off the last over.

CSK’s final score was 172 for 6 as Dhoni didn’t end his 200th game for CSK in a manner he would have liked in his spiritual home at Chepauk.

Sandeep, who played a couple of games for India eight years back, seemed to lose his nerve as he bowled a couple of wides and then Dhoni whipped him over square leg and mid-wicket for a couple of sixes.

Needing 6 off the last two deliveries, the medium pacer got a wide yorker to Jadeja and then a perfect block-hole ball to Dhoni as it fetched a couple of singles.

RR won the match by three runs.

CSK has played four games this season, so far, with two victories.

The team, which has four IPL trophies to its name, has been struggling since the last season after it lost its core players in the auction. They finished second last on the points table last season.

With PTI inputs

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