India pacer Tushar Deshpande recalled the time he bowled to MS Dhoni in the IPL 2025 match between the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
With Dhoni and Shivam Dube at the crease, Deshpande was handed the ball to bowl the penultimate over. He held his nerve and delivered a brilliant spell, conceding just six runs. Out of the six deliveries, three were bowled to Dhoni.
“It’s always pressure bowling to Mahi bhai because he’s the best finisher in the world,” Deshpande told ESPNcricinfo. “I was kind of trying to impress him and just wanted to bowl my best ball to him. Before last season, I had never bowled to him in an official game.”
Playing his first season for the Rajasthan Royals, Deshpande had a lukewarm campaign with the ball, never getting a consistent run in the playing XI.
Deshpande aspires to play Test cricket
Having made his debut for India in the T20 format, Tushar is now aiming to play Test cricket for the country.
“The aspiration is always to play Test cricket for India, but I’m taking it one match at a time, one day at a time, and just following a good process while keeping myself fit, because I lost considerable time away from the game last year. So I’m just focusing on staying fit so I can once again put in the hard yards for Mumbai,” he added.
Deshpande travelled with the India A squad for the series against the England Lions and has been on the fringes of Test selection. The Mumbai-based pacer is currently playing in the Duleep Trophy for West Zone and is likely to be in action on 4 September, as he looks to bolster his chances for a maiden Test call-up.
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