WATCH: What Rahul Tewatia did, MS Dhoni had done before - two sixes to win from 12 needed off 2 balls
MS Dhoni got fans, commentators excited after another of his perfect finish in IPL 2016, almost in sync with what Rahl Tewatia did last night for Gujarat Titans.Β
The sensational finish in IPL 2022 by Rahul Tewatia on Friday (April 8) made fans reminisce the time when the great MS Dhoni also smashed two sixes off the last two balls to win his team the match.
Tewatia hammered Punjab Kings (PBKS) pacer Odean Smith to help Gujarat Titans (GT) scale the near-impossible equation of 12 needed from the last two balls. The glorious end to an exciting game made him only the second player to do so in IPL history after the legendary figure of Dhoni.
And Interestingly, the India great scripted his finish against the same franchise. Named Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) back in the day, the northern rivals came face to face with the wrath of MS Dhoni in the closing stages of the innings.
MS Dhoni hits back to back sixes versus the Kings in a popular IPL finish
One of many great finishes off MS Dhoni's bat, this one dates back to a league-stage encounter in IPL 2016. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) legend turning up for the now-disbanded Rising Pune Super Giants (RPSG) that year, unleashed his wrath on Kings' left-arm spinner Axar Patel in the 20th over of the run-chase.
The equation was simple. Dhoni had to hit the last two deliveries for sixes in order for RPSG to secure a win. And the legendary batter wicketkeeper-batter did exactly, hitting Axar for two eye-catching sixes in a rare IPL fixture played in Visakhapatnam.
What Tewatia Did today... Dhoni did it in 2016 against the same team KXIP... 12 in last 2 balls ... π₯π₯β€οΈ#MSDhoni#RPSvsKXIP pic.twitter.com/DEDgJl3LSE
β π¨ππππβ‘οΈ (@StanningGOAT) April 8, 2022
An immensely disciplined and clever bowler on most occasions, Axar got outdone by the towering presence of Dhoni, who got him bowling to his strengths through the on-side.
For the first six, the explosive right-hander got Axar's short-pitched ball sailing over the mid-wicket region.
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In a tactical bout, once that ball got Axar erring full again, MS Dhoni unveiled his legacy-defining downswing for another helicopter shot and hammered it through the cow corner.
It was as exhilarating a finish as one would ever see, with fans left in a great frenzy at the stadium and commentators equally excited and jubilant for Dhoni.