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Chennai Super Kings pacer Tushar Deshpande revealed the mastermind behind Ravindra Jadeja’s prank on Chennai fans. On April 8, Monday, the five-time IPL champions hosted Kolkata Knight Riders in a thundering clash during the 22nd match of the ongoing tournament at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. After the Yellow Army secured a 7-wicket win over their counterparts, Deshpande opened up about the hilarious yet memorable prank that Ravindra Jadeja pulled on the audience.
In the game, Jajdea fooled the crowd by pretending to walk out after CSK lost Shivam Dube’s wicket in the 17th over. However, Jadeja made a quick return to the dugout, as he was just pretending to go to bat after Dube. After Jadeja, MS Dhoni walked from the dressing room and joined Ruturaj Gaikwad on the crease. The Chepauk Stadium welcomed their beloved ‘Thala’ to thunderous applause.
After the game, Deshpande revealed that both Dhoni and Jadeja had planned this moment for their fans. In a video posted by the official handle of the IPL, the pacer revealed that Dhoni told Jadeja to walk out to bat ahead of the former skipper. The 28-year-old said, “Mahi bhai ne Jaddu Bhai ko bola tha, ‘Jaana tu hi par mai jaunga batting ko’, woh maine sun liya tha.” (Mahi Bhai told Jaddu Bhai, ‘You pretend like going, but I will go to bat,’ I overheard them talking.”)
In the same video, Jadeja could be heard saying, “Woh sirf apna ek jhalak dikhaye toh unke liye ticket ka paisa vasool ho jayega (Getting a glimpse of Dhoni make spending money on tickets worthy for them.) Notably, in their last match, CSK defeated KKR by a margin of seven wickets to record their third home and overall win of the season.