MS Dhoni's leadership, Jadeja's nerve, tried and tested players: What makes CSK so formidable

It was a tense night, even by MS Dhoni’s standards

- Rasesh Mandani

As the clock struck 1.35am, Ravindra Jadeja stood resolutely at the crease despite the tension in the air.

A few minutes earlier, the Gujarat Titans were feeling rather optimistic about their chances. The equation had read: 10 runs needed, 2 balls remaining. But Jadeja had then smashed a straight six off a delivery in the block hole to give himself and his team a genuine shot.

In the dugout, Dhoni maintained his stoic facade as paceman Mohit Sharma ran in for the final delivery. But Dhoni desperately wanted this win, and Jadeja desperately wanted to win it for him.

Sharma, sublime so far in the death overs, strayed on the pads. Jadeja whipped the ball past fine leg, sealed the fifth Indian Premier League title for the Chennai Super Kings, and the men in yellow, as they so often do, found a way to fight the nerves in a rain-hit final that stretched across three days.

A delirious dugout chased after the hero of the moment, every bit a local as the beaten team Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, but Jadeja ran straight into the arms of Dhoni. And the skipper lifted him in celebration, shaking off the detached picture he presented even as the winning hit was racing to the boundary line.