MS Dhoni has scored only 37 runs in the IPL 14 so far.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) pacer Deepak Chahar says that skipper MS Dhoni will be back to his best with the bat once the IPL 2021 restarts.
After having a forgettable IPL 2020, Chennai Super Kings are among one of the top teams in the IPL 14. They were placed second on the points table with 5 wins out of seven games before the tournament was postponed.
Despite the team doing well, many fans want skipper MS Dhoni to play with more freedom and be at his hitting best. However, the veteran batsman has struggled in both seasons with the bat.
"Mahi Bhai made me a powerplay bowler," Deepak Chahar credits MS Dhoni for his resurgence
In IPL 2020 MS Dhoni had the worst season as he managed just 200 runs from 14 games, the least number of runs he has scored in an IPL season, while in IPL 14 he has scored only 37 runs in 7 innings so far.
In an interview with Sportskeeda, CSK pacer Deepak Chahar while backing MS Dhoni said that a batsman cannot bat the same way for 15-20 years if he hasn’t played regular cricket. He added that Dhoni has always played the finisher’s role which is even tough when you are out of action.
“A batsman cannot bat the same way for 15-20 years. If any batsman hasn’t played regular cricket before, it is never easy to just come to a competition of the level of IPL and start performing, it takes time.
“He has always played the finisher's role, which is even tougher when you haven't played regular cricket,” Deepak Chahar told Sportskeeda in an interview.
Chahar said that even in the previous seasons, MS Dhoni started slowly. He feels that the wicket-keeper batsman will only get better as the tournament progresses and he will be back to his best.
“Even in the 2018 and 2019 IPL seasons, Dhoni bhai started a bit slowly by his standards, but his stroke play became fluent as the season progressed. So, you might get to see the best of MS Dhoni in the second half of the season,” he said.
Deepak Chahar further lauded MS Dhoni for trusting him as his strike bowler. He added that the latter’s best quality as a captain is that how he utilizes a player for the particular situation. He admitted that he has learned a lot at CSK.
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“This has been my fourth year at CSK and Dhoni bhai has shown his trust in me as his strike bowler. This trust is so important because he has not just inspired me but also many others.
“His best quality as a captain is about how to utilize a player on a particular day for a particular situation. I’ve bowled three overs in the powerplay in pretty much every game for CSK and have learned a lot through him,” he said.
Deepak Chahar is likely to feature in the Indian squad that will tour Sri Lanka for the T20I and ODI series in July.
(Sportskeeda inputs)