MS Dhoni led the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to the IPL 2023 title and tied with Mumbai Indians’ record of most IPL titles with five wins. The 42-year-old cricketer received much praise for how he handled his bowlers throughout the tournament.
Dhoni was without services of Ben Stokes, Mukesh Choudhary and a few more bowlers who had done well in past and even missed Deepak Chahar for a few matches. But he made the most of what he had and got Sri Lankan stars Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana to step up and do the job.
Theekshana was brilliant for Dhoni picking important wickets in middle overs, and has bow lauded the CSK captain saying that he’s benefiting from the vast experience of MS Dhoni while sharing the field and dressing room with Dhoni in CSK.
Theekshana says everyone around Dhoni in the franchise is learning something from the two-time world cup winning captain.
“MS Dhoni is a fantastic leader and captain. His composure is something each one of us have benefitted from. When you speak to someone like him and see how he handles pressure despite all the hype around, you know how it can or should be done. Not just me, each one of us in the Chennai team have learnt from having him around,” Theekshana told RevSportz.
He further called Dhoni a simple and honest man and very approachable.
“He’s (Dhoni) a simple man. He wants everything to be simple. He wants to enjoy every time. Even when we go out in the middle, he’s a quiet guy who just wants to enjoy the moment. You can go and talk to him for hours if you want. You can have a chat with him, you can eat with him. He’s a very honest man also. If he wants to say something on your face, he will say it to you. He’s a very humble guy and blessed to play with him and share the dressing room,” Theekshana added.
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“When he is sitting at the back of the seat, I am the one next to him. When we travel in the bus, people want to wave at him. It’s very special. Staying with him is like a proud moment for each and every player in their career,” he added.
Theekshana also revealed how Dhoni teased him about his fielding after the final.
“After the final, when I was about to go home, I just met him and he told me, because I didn’t do really well on the field, ‘next time for you, there’s no bowling practice; there’s only batting practice and fielding practice,” Theekshana said.
Theekshana will be back in India with the Sri Lankan team for the World Cup tournament and he says every venue across the country feels familiar barring Dharamsala.
“In India, the fan base is crazy. But, in Sri Lanka also all the stadiums are packed when we play. It’s very much like home and even the conditions and the weather are very similar. Only in Dharamshala, you can feel it’s cold. In other areas, it is similar to Sri Lanka,” Theekshana said.
(Revsportz inputs)
