Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni is not one to mince his words, he speaks what he feels and never shy away from speaking what is on his mind. Recently, CSK pacer Tushar Deshpande revealed what Dhoni told his players in the dressing room after their IPL 2023 win against Gujarat Titans in the final. It was Dhoni and CSK’s fifth IPL crown but the veteran skipper still wanted his players to stay grounded and Deshpande indicated that they will take their learnings forward next season.
Speaking after CSK’s 5-wicket win over GT at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday, Dhoni affirmed that he is likely to challenge himself by playing in the next season as well, and would like to congratulate his teammates after becoming IPL champions. Even after delivering the message, there are lessons to be learned from the recently concluded season.
In a conversation with The Indian Express, the CSK duo of Tushar Deshpande and Shivam Dube revealed how Dhoni made it easy for the two youngsters to thrive under pressure.
Read this also ‘Wasn’t sleeping, thinking what I could have done differently’: Mohit Sharma says he’s trying to move on from IPL heartbreak
“Mahi bhai gave me clarity of thought. He told me what my role was. It was easy, you have to go and increase the run rate of the team. (You have to increase the run rate). Even if I get out early then there is no problem but try to complete the given task. The brief was clear,” Dubey said after scoring an unbeaten 32 in the summit clash.
Meanwhile, Deshpande ended the IPL 2023 season as CSK’s leading wicket-taker, with 21 wickets under his belt, and also revealed how the young pacer was impressed despite Dhoni conceding 56 runs in the final. Backed the bowler.
“Once I didn’t bowl well, he came and said that with the new impact rule, 200-plus is the new normal and told me not to worry about my place. He gave a guarantee which ( young) players,” revealed the Maharashtra pacer.
Read this also MS Dhoni: The great captain and his unbreakable bond with Chennai Super Kings and IPL
Deshpande recalled the 41-year-old’s message to his player asking him to tell everyone in the dressing room what went right and what went wrong during the IPL 2023 season.
“He told everyone hard work is paid off, but do remember what we did right this year and where we went wrong. Mahi bhai said, ‘Yeh season tumko kya seekha ke gaya hai, aur aage kya karna hai, yeh zaroor sochna’,” revealed the young pacer.
Dhoni certainly deserves credit for using inexperienced bowlers like Deshpande and Mathisha Pathirana, but still he managed to lead his team to a resounding victory as they now stand with Mumbai Indians as the most successful in IPL history with five titles. There are teams.