Chennai Super Kings would have been chasing a lesser target on Monday had Deepak Chahar picked that all-important catch of Shubman Gill when the Gujarat Titans opener was batting on three in the IPL 2023 final. Gujarat eventually ended with 214 for four where Sai Sudharshan (96) and Wriddhiman Saha (54) were the principal run-getters, but Gill's 39 off 20 had set the perfect start for the team. An although CSK chased down the revised target of 171 in 15 overs in the rain-affected match in Ahmedabad, MS Dhoni did not forget about that catch as he was seen brutally taunting Chahar over it before refusing the CSK star a Sunil Gavaskar moment.
It happened in the second over of the match after CSK had put Gujarat to bat first. Dhoni had stationed Chahar at backward square and it was a perfect set-up with Tushar Deshpande going with a fuller delivery on the pads. Gill flicked it uppishly and the ball flew straight towards Chahar. He could have completed a comfortable catch but eventually dropped it.
Dhoni did not react then, as he rarely does during a match. But Chahar heard it from the skipper after the game.
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In a video that went viral on social media, Chahar was seen asking Dhoni for an autograph on his CSK jersey just like the 41-year-old had signed for Gavaskar at the end of Chennai's final league game in Chepauk. But Dhoni refused him straight away and gestured him to leave. Dhoni then was seen telling Rajiv Shukla, BCCI vice-president, that Chahar had dropped an easy catch as the latter was left in splits. The CSK legend eventually did sign on Chahar's jersey.
Watch the video here…
{{/usCountry}}In a video that went viral on social media, Chahar was seen asking Dhoni for an autograph on his CSK jersey just like the 41-year-old had signed for Gavaskar at the end of Chennai's final league game in Chepauk. But Dhoni refused him straight away and gestured him to leave. Dhoni then was seen telling Rajiv Shukla, BCCI vice-president, that Chahar had dropped an easy catch as the latter was left in splits. The CSK legend eventually did sign on Chahar's jersey.
Watch the video here…
{{/usCountry}}Before the final, during a conversation with Gaurav Kapur in 'Breakfast with Champions', Chahar had opened up on his bond with Dhoni, under whom he had made his IPL debut in 2016 for presently-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants.
"I’m close to MS Dhoni. We always sit together even in the flights and he pampers me the most,” he had said.