Kartik Sharma had already played his part in Chennai Super Kings’ eight-wicket win over Mumbai Indians on Saturday. But it was what came after the final ball that got everyone talking. The young CSK batter pulled out a gun-pointed gesture during the post-match segment, a moment that instantly drew comparisons with MS Dhoni’s iconic celebration from two decades ago.
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It was entirely pre-planned. Kartik revealed that he had decided before going out to bat that this was exactly how he would mark the occasion if he scored. “I had planned beforehand that if I scored runs today, I would celebrate like that,” he said. There was no Dhoni influence behind it, he insisted. It was simply his own moment, his own way of marking a milestone he had been working towards.
The celebration was fitting. Kartik’s knock of 54 not out off 40 balls was composed, calculated and decisive, much like the man the gesture reminded everyone of.
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The Dhoni connection
The comparison with Dhoni was hard to avoid. In October 2005, a 24-year-old Dhoni walked out at Sawai Mansingh Stadium against Sri Lanka and produced one of the greatest ODI innings ever played. Chasing 299, India were under pressure when Dhoni took charge. He finished unbeaten on 183 off 145 balls, laced with 15 fours and 10 sixes, guiding India to 303 for four in 46.1 overs. When he brought up his century, he celebrated with a gun-pointed gesture that became one of cricket’s most enduring images.
The knock that mattered
Kartik is nowhere near that stage yet. But at 20 years and six days old, he is already making his mark. His fifty on Saturday made him the second youngest CSK batter to score an IPL half-century, behind only Ayush Mhatre.
In the context of the chase, his knock was critical. Chennai were 46 for two after Sanju Samson fell early and Urvil Patel departed for a brisk 24. Kartik came in and steadied things alongside captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, who made an unbeaten 67 off 48 balls. The two added the bulk of the runs needed, taking Chennai past Mumbai’s 159 for seven with eight wickets in hand and 29 balls to spare.
The gun celebration
Asked about the gesture after the match, Kartik kept it simple. It was his first IPL fifty, he had planned it in advance, and he delivered. “Yes sir, it was my first innings and my first IPL fifty,” he said. His family watched from home. But at Chepauk on Saturday, everyone else was watching too.
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