Thisara Perera Recalls MS Dhoni's 'Special' Revelation During RPS Days That Helped Him In His Career

Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera opened up on his stint with the Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) where he played under the captaincy of the 40-year-old former Indian skipper, MS Dhoni.

RPS was added to the league for two years before being removed from the IPL. In one of the matches during the 2016 season, Perera was at the crease with Dhoni when the latter’s advice helped the Lankan find his mojo.

“I remember a special incident with MS Dhoni for Rising Pune Supergiants, in 2016, and that is where I felt that Dhoni is like my brother. In one of the matches, we were 35-5, and I came down to bat. MS was the non-striker.”

“He walked up to me and said, ‘Hi, TP. Let’s just bat’. I defended my first ball and he comes to me knocking the pitch – ‘Hey, TP. What are you doing?’ I said, ‘I am just watching the ball.’

“The reply from him was very special, something which I didn’t expect with the sort of scorecard we were having at that time. ‘No, no. I picked you because you can hit the ball miles away. Go explode’,” Perera revealed to News9.

“One of the best captains I have played under” – Thisara Perera

Perera termed the CSK skipper as one of the best skippers he has ever played under. It is a well-known fact that Dhoni is one of India’s greatest white-ball captains and his achievements are yet to be matched by an Indian skipper.

“And from there on, I was just hitting every ball. I got around 18-ball 40 or something, which took the momentum away from the opposition. MS played until the 20th over and we scored around 170 or 180 from 35-5. And that is why it is always special to play under MS. He is one of the best captains, I have played under in my career,” Perera added.

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