You Might Get To See The Best Of MS Dhoni In Second Half Of The Season - Deepak Chahar

Deepak Chahar, the Chennai Super Kings pacer, is confident that skipper MS Dhoni will come good with the bat when the IPL 2021 will resume.

After a disappointing campaign in the UAE last year, CSK returned to their dominant form this season with 5 wins in 7 matches, before the tournament was suspended. However, MS Dhoni’s prowess with the bat in hand still is a concern for the 3-time champions. In IPL 2020, the skipper scored 200 runs in the entire season at a strike rate of 116.28; this year he has collected just 37 runs striking meekly at 123.33.

Deepak Chahar, who was superb with his couple of 4-wicket hauls this year, cites the lack of cricket and age for Dhoni’s returns with the bat. Dhoni didn’t play any domestic game between the two IPL seasons, and also pushed himself down the order this year.

“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 rule [sic], which is even tougher when you haven’t played regular cricket. Even in the 2018 and 2019 IPL seasons, Dhoni bhai started a bit slowly by his standards, but his strokeplay became fluent as the season progressed. So you might get to see the best of MS Dhoni in the second half of the season,” Deepak Chahar told Sportskeeda.

Dhoni bhai has shown his trust in me as his strike bowler: Deepak Chahar

While Dhoni’s powers with the bat have waned, his captaincy acumen has not; his brain remains sharp as ever, and his astute judgment quality has resulted in many successful careers for India and CSK. Deepak Chahar’s is also one of them.

The seamer joined CSK in 2018, and Dhoni used him predominantly as a powerplay bowler. He then made his India debut as well – he has featured in 13 T20Is and 3 ODIs and is in contention for a berth in the T20 World Cup squad. He credits his CSK skipper for showing trust in his bowling abilities and recognizing his role as a new-ball specialist.

“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,” the 28-year old asserted.

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