Asian Games 2023: "Was A Brave Move" - Jitesh Sharma On Taking DRS Against MS Dhoni In IPL

The Vidarbha and Punjab Kings wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma has opened up on taking a “brave” DRS against the legendary wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni during the IPL 2022 match between the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

The 11th Match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 was played between the Ravindra Jadeja-led CSK and Mayanak Agarwal-led PBKS on April 03, 2022, at the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai.

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Batting first, Punjab Kings scored 180/8, thanks to Liam Livingstone, Shikhar Dhawan, and Jitesh Sharma’s good batting. While defending the target bowlers did a great job and reduced the Super Kings to 36/5.

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MS Dhoni joined forces with Shivam Dube and together they added 62 runs in 46 balls to bring some momentum back to their side. However, the efforts of Dhoni and Dube weren’t enough as CSK were bundled out for 126 and lost the match by 54 runs.

MS Dhoni had scored 23 runs off 28 balls, before being dismissed by Rahul Chahar on the first ball of the 18th over. Notably, the leg-spinner delivered a short-length delivery that was sliding down the leg side, and Dhoni aimed for a pull shot. The wicketkeeper-batter failed to make a good connection with the ball and PBKS wicket-keeper Jitesh grabbed the ball behind the stumps and appealed for the catch.

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The umpire denied the appeal and gave a wide. However, Jitesh Sharma was confident that Dhoni had edged it and he convinced his captain Mayank Agarwal to take a DRS. In the replays, it showed that there was a clear spike, and the on-field umpire’s decision was reversed and Dhoni was forced to walk back to the dugout.

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After I reached the hotel later in the night that I got to understand the gravity of the dismissal – Jitesh Sharma

In an interview with RevSportz, Jitesh Sharma was asked about taking a successful DRS against MS Dhoni. The 29-year-old said that he was confident that he had heard a noise and just backed his instincts. Jitesh Sharma added that only after reaching the team hotel he realized it was a brave move by him.

“I was extremely involved in the game. T20, anyway, moves so quickly that sometimes you don’t get to feel the emotions on the field. I had heard a noise and that’s why I pushed for the DRS.

“Only after I reached the hotel later in the night that I got to understand the gravity of the dismissal and realised that it was indeed a brave move. It was a huge confidence booster. In today’s cricket, even with the DRS, I feel it is important to back your instincts. It’s all about instincts and confidence,” Jitesh Sharma said.

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In the same interview, Jitesh was asked to share his views on captain Hardik Pandya. He responded that Pandya is a “really confident captain” and has a clear mindset.

“Hardik Pandya is a really confident captain. Jab apka leader hi confident hai toh apki sena toh khud hi confident ho jayegi (When your leader is confident, then the army will automatically gain confidence.) He is very clear in what he wants to do and that rubs off on the players,” Jitesh Sharma said.

Hardik Pandya led the Gujarat Titans (GT) to the IPL title in 2022. He has been regularly captaining India in T20I cricket since the ICC World Cup 2022 and is also the vice-captain of the team in the ODI format.

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