At around 10pm on Monday, 3 April, Tushar Deshpande found himself ensnared in a nightmare, with more than fifty thousand pairs of eyes on him. In his first five deliveries, he had conceded 18 runs in the IPL 2023 match between Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants – which included two no balls and three wides. Even worse – it was not his first experience of ephialtes, having conceded 51 runs in the first match against Gujarat Titans.
Understandably, the most experienced cricketing brain present in Chepauk at the time, CSK skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni got Deshpande off the firing line. Except that he had to bring him back, to bowl the crucial 16th over, at a time when Nicholas Pooran was going hammer and tongs.
The odds of redemption looked slimmer than ever before, but Deshpande silenced Lucknow, Pooran and his critics – all in the span of six deliveries. Conceding only six runs, the Mumbai-born cricketer also sent the West Indian wicketkeeper-batter packing.
Deshpande returned to bowl a masterfully executed 18th over, where he conceded only seven runs, before sealing the two important points for his team in the final over. A proper ‘death over masterclass’, as many would term it.
After the match, the pacer credited Chennai’s bowling coach, and IPL’s leading wicket-taker, Dwayne Bravo, for his late exploits. “Bowling at the death is not an easy skill – I am still learning. We have a great death bowler as our bowling coach (in) DJ Bravo,” the 27-year-old said at the post-match press conference.
Deshpande further reiterated his intentions of learning skills of the trade from Bravo, one of the competition’s most effective death-over specialists, by saying “My role is quite similar to what DJ has done over the years for CSK. I am just trying to pick his brains, (about) what he has done from the start of the IPL till last year. I can’t fill DJ’s shoes, but trying to learn from him.”
No Point in Cribbing About the Past: Tushar Deshpande on No Balls
Though he did make amends for his mistake, overstepping has emerged as the most pertinent problem for Deshpande, with the bowler having bowled four no balls in the two matches so far. In his usual sly-yet-unconditional self, Dhoni launched a public warning to his bowlers after the game.
“They (bowlers) will have to bowl no no-balls or extra wides. Or they'll have to play under a new captain. It will be my second warning and then I'll be off,” the four-time IPL-winning leader stated.
On being enquired about the matter, Deshpande replied “I am a firm believer in staying in present. Bowling a no ball is a crime in T20 cricket, but if I keep cribbing about it, I might give away ten extra runs. I was focused on making a good comeback, and kept telling myself that I can win the game for the team.
‘Need To Grab Opportunities,’ Says Pacer
Deshpande finds himself very much in CSK"s scheme of things now, but had it not been for the new 'impact player' rule, he might not have made any appearances in IPL 2023. The speedster was named as a substitute in both matches, against Gujarat and Lucknow, only to replace Ambati Rayudu when it was CSK’s turn to bowl.
Speaking about the challenges of making it to the CSK team, he opined “Getting a chance is not in my hands. What’s in my hands is putting an effort and improving day by day. So, I was focusing on that. I feel when I keep on growing as a bowler, opportunities will come to me. Just need to grab it with a cool mind.”
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