Tushar Deshpande has spent a couple of years with MS Dhoni in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise and used that time to pick the brains of one of the sharpest minds in cricket. He even revealed an inspiring message from MS Dhoni before CSK began their IPL 2023 campaign.

Deshpande was instrumental in CSK's fifth title win, securing his spot on the bowling team.

CSK's fast bowling team suffered a huge injury problem during the 2023 season, with several key players, including Ben Stokes, Deepak Chahar, Sisanda Magala, Simarjeet Singh, and Mukesh Choudhary, sidelined due to serious injuries.

In their absence, Deshpande led the assault alongside youthful players such as Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Matheesha Pathirana, and Akash Singh. He rose to the task, taking 21 wickets in 16 matches at an economy rate of 9.92.

“You have everything to succeed at the international level. But you have to be calm during your run-up. Don't get distracted by the crowd. Just take a deep breath, stay calm, and bowl.' If Mahi tells you that you have everything to be successful at the international level, boss, that itself is an achievement," Deshpande revealed his talk with MS Dhoni to ESPNCricinfo as per ANI.

Tushar Deshpande suffered a setback in his first encounter against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad. Despite the pricey spell, he was encouraged by the seasoned MS Dhoni, who urged him to keep going.

"Mahi came to me and said, 'You haven't made any mistakes. You bowled all good balls. It was not your day today. In the next match repeat the same," he said.

Deshpande's propensity for collecting wickets in difficult situations has been critical to his team's success. He described another instance in which Dhoni's advice had a huge impact on his mentality.

During a net session, Dhoni told him to "stick to his strengths and believe in himself." Deshpande was moved by this simple but strong message.

"I was bowling good yorkers, but suddenly I bowled a bouncer and got hit for a 100-metre six. He asked me, 'Kyun daala bouncer?' [Why did you bowl the bouncer?] I told him I thought he was expecting the Yorker. He told me, 'Don't play cricket in the mind. Yorker is a yorker and no one can hit you,' " Deshpande noted.

"He was telling me we keep trying to play ahead of the game instead of staying in the present. The other thing he told me is to focus on my fitness, which is important for fast bowlers," he added.

Deshpande was rewarded for his good performances in IPL and in domestic cricket as he made his India T20I debut against Zimbabwe.

(ANI inputs)