Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 30 (ANI): India's right-arm quick Tushar Deshpande took a trip down memory lane and recalled the moment when he was tasked to bowl the final over for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings with MS Dhoni standing firm on the striker's end. For Deshpande, it was all about impressing the 'best finisher in the world' and giving his best against him.

Deshpande was handed the ball to bowl the penultimate over in the first innings with Dhoni and Shivam Dube, two skilled finishers and his former teammates, occupying the crease.

Deshpande kept both batters silent and conceded just six runs to set the tone in Rajasthan's favour on a flat Delhi surface. He bowled three of his six deliveries to Dhoni, a player he hadn't bowled a single delivery against till that point in an official match.

'[Got] a lot of confidence from that over. It's always pressure bowling to Mahi bhai because he's the best finisher in the world. I was kind of trying to impress him and just wanted to bowl my best ball to him. Before last season, I had never bowled to him in an official game,' Deshpande said as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

After his exploits in the IPL 2025, which concluded with nine wickets from 10 appearances for the Royals, Deshpande is now looking to make up for the lost time. He missed the entire 2024-25 domestic season with a significant ankle injury.

He had undergone surgery in October last year and yearned to return to on-field action for Mumbai during the knockouts. However, his plans were quashed after his rehab demanded more time. After marking his return in the IPL, Deshpande bowled 18 overs in Chennai's scorching heat against Haryana in a three-day Buchi Babu fixture.

'I have put in a lot of effort, actually. It was a major ankle surgery and that being my landing foot, it was necessary that I get operated at that moment of time because coming ahead are a lot of international tours as well. I'm aiming for that, and I'm feeling good now for the start of the season,' Deshpande said.

'The aspiration is always to play Test cricket for India, but I'm taking one match at a time, one day at a point, and just following a good process and keeping myself fit because I've lost considerable time off the game last year. So just keeping myself fit so I can again hit the hard yards for Mumbai,' he added.

With India A set to square off against Australia A at home from September, Deshpande hopes to deliver in the Duleep Trophy and push his case for selection in the two unofficial Tests in Lucknow.

'Absolutely, like I said, now I'm fit and fine. So any challenge which comes up, I'm ready for it. Playing in England also... I was ready for the challenge. Even if I would have been called for the Test squad, I was ready for it because I did well in the second game, which I played for India A,' he said.

'So everything revolves around my fitness. Last year, I wasn't fit, I had a surgery that's why I was away from the game. Now I'm fit and fine, so I always wanted to play the game and play for India,' he added. (ANI)