In a moment of pure cricketing guile, Ravichandran Ashwin and MS Dhoni combined to dismiss the in-form Nitish Rana, who was blazing away with a 36-ball 81, for Rajasthan Royals in Match 11 against Chennai Super Kings at Barsapara Stadium.

Rana was looking unstoppable — his knock included 10 fours and 5 sixes at a staggering strike rate of 225. He had hammered Ashwin for 19 runs in the veteran spinner’s first over, prompting CSK to turn cautious. However, Ashwin, known for his cricketing smarts, made a stunning comeback in his next two overs, conceding just 10 runs.

Then came the moment in the 12th over. Rana, eager to maintain the pressure, stepped out of his crease to attack. But Ashwin, as he has done before, paused mid-action — spotting Rana’s charge. He cleverly tossed a wide delivery outside off, catching Rana completely off guard. The ball evaded the batter and went straight into MS Dhoni’s gloves, who wasted no time in whipping off the bails.

The sharp stumping broke a dangerous 38-run partnership and silenced the crowd in Guwahati. More importantly, it removed RR’s biggest threat and brought CSK back into the contest.

It was a perfect mix of Ashwin’s trickery and Dhoni’s timeless reflexes — a dismissal that might prove to be a turning point in the match.

At the end of 11.3 overs, Rajasthan Royals stood at 124/3.

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