Struggling to move swiftly due to a hamstring injury, Shane Watson had thoroughly enjoyed the leeway he got in the field from skipper MS Dhoni and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) camp during the all-important Indian Premier League (IPL) final against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Wankhede stadium on 27th May.

He also misfielded when Shakib Al Hasan came out to bat, but Dhoni didn't react angrily. The CSK skipper knew the boundary didn't matter more than the injury of Watson - a 'big-match player' who could still make a big difference despite his limitations. And, as it turned out, Watto eventually became the difference between the two IPL finalists.

For a man who had scooped the 'Player of the Tournament' award after leading Rajasthan Royals to the 2008 IPL title, the 36-year-old, ten years later, clinched the 'Man of the Match' award after leading Chennai to their third title. He was unable to score a single run on his first ten deliveries and his injury had taken the running between the wickets out of the equation. But, who needs ones or twos when you can get fours and sixes.

BCCI

And, that's exactly what Watto did. Standing tall in the crease, Watson paced his match-winning innings to perfection. He weathered the storm created by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Sandeep Sharma early on, and played sensibly against Hyderabad's dangerous leggie Rashid Khan. Once the ball got a bit old, the CSK all-rounder began his assault and reached his fifty off 33 balls.

Gaining some momentum, Watson hit his peak in the 13th over where he single-handedly turned the tide in favour of CSK. After missing out on the first delivery, the right-hander slammed a four which was followed by three consecutive sixes. Rattled By Watson's attack, the Hyderabad seamer bowled a wide before conceding another boundary on the last ball of the over. Thanks to Watson, CSK amassed 27 runs from that over which changed the equation significantly.

ðð @ShaneRWatson33. pic.twitter.com/lVQXKSb6NJ

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 27, 2018

He reached his hundred - second ton in all IPL finals - in just 51 deliveries before smashing Rashid for two consecutive fours in the 17th over. While the CSK fans would have been elated to see Watson score the winning runs, it was Ambati Rayudu who flayed a cover drive off Carlos Brathwaite in the 19th over to secure an eight-wicket win and the IPL 2018 title for his side.

Chennai are Super Kings. A fairytale comeback as @ChennaiIPL beat #SRH by 8 wickets to seal their third #VIVOIPL Trophy ððð.  This is their moment to cherish, a moment to savour. pic.twitter.com/ABMnOGiEkg

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 27, 2018

Arguably one of the best knocks in the IPL finals, Watson's masterclass garnered plaudits from everywhere. But, he received a special message from an extra-special Chennai fan on Twitter. Ranveer Singh, a self-proclaimed CSK fan, revelled in the 'methodical destruction' of Watson and showered praise on the hard-hitting batsman.

WATTO PLAYA !!!! @ShaneRWatson33

That's how you bat in a final ! Took his time , got in there & then exploded .

Methodical destruction âð½ð¥ð¥ð #IPL2018Final

— Ranveer Singh (@RanveerOfficial) May 27, 2018

Taking to Twitter, Ranveer wrote: WATTO PLAYA !!!! @ShaneRWatson33. That's how you bat in a final ! Took his time , got in there & then exploded. Methodical destruction #IPL2018Final".

Chen-nai Chen-nai SU-PER KINGS !!!!! Yellow army rejoice !!!! Congratulations!!! ððð¯ðªð¾ðð½ð¤© #IPL2018Final #WhistlePodu  #MSD @ChennaiIPL #IPL2018Final

— Ranveer Singh (@RanveerOfficial) May 27, 2018

The Bollywood actor also congratulated CSK in his own uncanny manner. "Chen-nai Chen-nai SU-PER KINGS !!!!! Yellow army rejoice !!!! Congratulations!!! #IPL2018Final #WhistlePodu  #MSD @ChennaiIPL #IPL2018Final," he tweeted.