Mohit Sharma revealed that he could not sleep at night after Ravindra Jadeja smacked him for a maximum and a boundary in the final two balls of the last over to win the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) title for the Chennai Super Kings on May 29.
It was ecstasy and heartbreak in a rain-soaked Narendra Modi Stadium as MS Dhoni lifted up Jadeja in front of the CSK dugout while Sharma stared blankly with tears in his eyes after he failed to defend 13 runs in the final over.
The fast bowler had an incredible tournament and even picked two successive wickets in his previous over to put his team in the driving seat.
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What did Mohit Sharma say about the loss to CSK?
Sharma had a plan in place for Jadeja. He wanted to bowl two yorkers in the last two deliveries and conveyed the same to his skipper Hardik Pandya after the fourth delivery.
"My mind was very clear in what I wanted to do. In the nets, I had practiced such situations and I have been in such scenarios before too. So I said let me bowl all balls yorkers and was backing my instinct. People are now saying this and that but frankly it has no meaning. I knew what I wanted to do,” he told Indian Express.
In the fifth ball, Sharma missed his length and was hit over long-on for a six. That did not deter him from trying a yorker once again, but this it strayed down the leg stump and Jadeja hit a boundary through fine leg to score the winning runs.
"I ran and tried to bowl (yorker) again. I just wanted to be focussed and back myself. Whole IPL I have done that. The ball landed where it shouldn’t have and Jadeja got his bat. I tried, I tried my best.
"I couldn’t sleep. Sochta raha kya alag karta joh match jeet jaate. What if I could have bowled this ball or that ball? It’s not a nice feeling now. Somewhere something is missing but I’m trying to move on," Sharma stated.
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How did Mohit Sharma perform in IPL 2023?
Sharma picked 27 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 13.37 and an economy of 8.17.
