IPL 2018: The MS Dhoni of Old is Back - Suresh Raina

Chennai Super Kings skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been quite sensational in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

He has stunned everyone with his swashbuckling form and has been quite destructive in IPL 2018. He has scored 470 runs at a magnificent strike rate of 155.23. Dhoni has smashed a staggering 29 sixes in the tournament so far.

When asked whether the Dhoni of old is back, his longtime friend and companion, Suresh Raina agreed to the fact quite promptly. The flamboyant Jharkhand lad is undoubtedly one of the greatest limited-overs batsmen the world has seen. His record speaks for itself. Over a period of more than a decade, he had averaged well over 50 for the major part of his ODI career. It is quite an achievement without any doubt.

Dhoni has defied age and has made young players look clueless with his level of fitness and strokeplay. Raina said Dhoni is enjoying his game more than ever in the twilight of his career.

“MS is enjoying his batting. You know he has played down the order for so many years. He has still finished so many games so well. He is having a good time, and that has always been his USP,” Raina told was quoted as saying by India today.com.

“I am sure you remember the hundred he scored against Pakistan in Vizag.. the hundred he scored in Jaipur. That’s how he is looking like now. He does not feel any pressure now. He has handed over the limited-overs captaincy to Virat Kohli, and he is enjoying his batting for India too.”

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Before his brilliant spell of batting in the ongoing tournament, everyone was scripting retirement plans for Dhoni. Raina added the next two to three years will see the best of Dhoni.

“I think the next two or three years are an extreme prime time for Dhoni,” he said.

Daughter Ziva and his wife Sakshi have accompanied the former Indian skipper. Spending time with the family has helped Dhoni revive back his form, feels his teammate in Chennai Super Kings.

“You have your family, your daughter around.. everything looks so extraordinary. All you have to do is just go out there and do what you love,” Raina said.

Raina said Dhoni wants to win the IPL title this year especially after serving a two-year suspension. Hence he wants to minimize all the errors ahead of the playoffs.

“The bowlers are always told what plans they need to execute in the middle. As a professional cricketer, you need to know all that,” Raina told Indiatoday.in.

“I know what I need to do out on the field, but getting advises from the captain, especially for the bowlers… If they are not hitting the right lengths and if they are giving away extra runs repeatedly.. those things can make you extra annoyed.”

“That’s why he keeps telling them ‘you need to improve your game. He has mentioned again and again in press conferences. He is expecting a lot from them (the bowlers). The next step is playoffs, and you cannot make any mistakes there.

“The moment you make a mistake in the playoffs, you are out of the tournament. That’s why he wants to correct all these mistakes so that when the moment arrives, you do not make a mistake there,” he said.

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