There was a moment of anxiety in the stadium on Friday during the IPL match between Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiants, when Bravo walked up to the RPS batsman MS Dhoni, collided into him and appeared to give him a long hard stare.
Everybody soon realised that this was just two old friends sharing a joke, playing a trick on the spectators. This is something Bravo and Dhoni, ex-teammates at Chennai Super Kings and international cricketers who share much mutual respect, have been up to before.
It was the 18th over of the innings when Bravo managed to bowl a dot ball to the RPS captain who had come in at No.4. Dhoni had previously faced two of Bravo’s deliveries, taking singles off both. On the fifth ball of the over, Dhoni tried to sweep but got rapped on the pads instead. The ball bloomed up to hit his chest.
Bravo decided to have some fun.
Having ensured that a quick single would not be taken, Bravo blew out his chest and walked up to the batsman, mouthing something off. Dhoni, who had been taken aback the last time Bravo had pulled this trick, was more prepared this time and also stood his ground, reciprocating the ‘hard stare’.
Both players were seen smiling by the cameras, but the stadium audience would have taken longer to understand what was going on.
Bravo had stunned the Eden Gardens crowd at India’s warm-up match against West Indies when he had grabbed Dhoni’s collar. Dhoni’s face had also registered some shock, but then both players had laughed along.
What followed Friday’s ‘face-off’ was that Bravo managed to bowl another dot ball of the last ball of the 18th over, but the last laugh in this friendly duel was had by Dhoni. He finished the RPS innings with a four off the last ball, sending his love to Bravo via mid-off.
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