Dhoni’s 9-year-old ‘I am here’ tweet shatters internet after near-vintage finish | Cricket

For a moment, everything seemed right with the world. MS Dhoni was on strike and had the entire country glued on to their TV sets. At 41-years-old, Dhoni was about to make his 200th IPL match even more special. He had already rolled back the years having blasted two sixes off the final over, and with 5 needed to win off the final ball, another tense finished loomed large as India waited with baited breath hoping for another vintage Dhoni finish. The bowler was Sandeep Sharma, who had made his India debut under Dhoni back in 2014. He, like many bowlers, was aware just how much Dhoni loves last-ball finishes. As he ran in to bowl, Ravi Shastri lined himself up in the commentary box. Everyone believed another spectacle was on the cards.

But instead, the ending wasn’t what everyone expected it to. Bowling round the wicket, Sandeep landed the perfect yorker, the third in a row that kept Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja to a mere single as Rajasthan Royals held their nerves to beat Chennai Super Kings by three runs on Wednesday. A fourth straight last-ball finish in IPL 2023, Dhoni, just like old days, had everyone at the edge of their seats. Dhoni remained unbeaten on 32 off 17, a knock that was throwback to his years of pomp when MSD would regularly pull off amazing finishes for India. With 58 runs in 4 innings, this is easily the best Dhoni has batted in the last three years in the IPL.

Also Read – ‘After Dhoni hit me for two sixes…’: Sandeep Sharma on plan that outfoxed CSK captain, won RR the match

However, shortly after Dhoni almost did the impossible again, a nine-year-old tweet from him has been doing the rounds quite actively on social media. The tweet dates back to March 24, 2014, when Dhoni wrote: “Doesn’t matter which team wins, I am here for entertainment,” and no one could argue with this line last evening. Dhoni is box-office. When he was on strike for the final ball, over 2.2 crore tuned in to Jio Cinema hoping the finisher would rise to the occasion once again after all these years and cap off a memorable double century for Dhoni.

Below is the original tweet:

The tweet was in reference to an El Classico match between Real Madrid and Barcelona that took place on March 23, 2014. Throughout the match, Dhoni was highly active on Twitter and pushed out a series of tweets. “Real Madrid vs Barcelona. Interesting 105 mins ahead,” read his first tweet, which was followed by “Barcelona all the way for Messi, may the best team win”. It is then that Dhoni made the ‘I am here for entertainment tweet’ revealing that he isn’t picking a favourite.

Dhoni has so far hit 38 runs off 13 balls while batting in the final over of IPL 2023, including fives sixes and a four. When 54 runs were needed off the last three overs, all seemed lost for CSK but Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja’s counter-attacking knocks breathed life into the chase. From 113/6. Dhoni and Jadeja added 59 runs off 30 balls. Jadeja struck two sixes and a four, while Dhoni creamed three biggies.

When the final over began, CSK needed 21 to win, but in just a matter of three deliveries, Dhoni brought the equation down to 7 off three. Sandeep missed the first two yorkers by the barest of margins and Dhoni deposited them over the ropes for consecutive sixes. The RR pacer then regrouped himself to nail three perfect yorkers to deny CSK and take his team to the top of the points table.