Former India skipper MS Dhoni has left a massive impact on the game with his leadership and performances in pressure situations.
Not only the Indian players, but cricketers from around the world aspire to play under his captaincy in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Among the many lucky players, South African all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius is also the one who has the privilege of playing under Dhoni at Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Pretorius made his IPL debut for CSK this year after being roped in by the franchise for a base price of INR 50 lakh at the mega-auction. He featured in only six games, scoring 44 runs and claiming six wickets with best bowling figures of 2 for 30.
Despite the limited opportunities, Pretorius said playing alongside Dhoni has been his biggest gain.
“Playing my first IPL was a great experience. It was one of my bucket list items and that too to get the opportunity to play for CSK, one of the most successful franchises. I enjoyed every moment of it. You get a lot of responsibility as a player,” he quoted as saying by PTI.
“I really enjoyed playing under Dhoni as well and batting with him, seeing the brand value he has in India just shows how big he is and what he has done for the sport in this country. It was awesome being a part of that,” the 33-year-old further said.
Dwaine Pretorius wishes to inculcate Dhoni’s calmness and self-belief into his game.
“The biggest thing that I have learnt from him is how calm he is at the crease, the way he takes the pressure off himself and tries to put it on to the bowler.
“He made me realise that at the death it’s actually the bowlers who are under pressure. It was a fresh mindset and also he doesn’t get too excited and is always optimistic.
“He believes he can do anything and I am going to try to bring his calmness and self-belief into my game,” he added.
Pretorius is part of the Proteas squad that will take on India in the five-match T20I series, starting June 9 in Delhi.
“A strong performance in this series is key for players keeping the T20 World Cup in mind. India is a strong T20 side and if we do well in this series, we can consider ourselves as strong contender,” he said.
“Performances in this series is going to go far to secure a spot in the World Cup.
Pretorius is aiming to establish himself as one of the best all-rounders in world cricket during the series against India.
“You test yourself as a player against some of the best T20 players of the world. Personally, I want to push myself and make a good impact for the team. From a personal note, I want to win the series going into the World Cup.
“I want to establish myself as a leading T20 all-rounder in this series going into the T20 World Cup,” he said.
(With PTI inputs)
