Chennai Super Kings are one of the most successful teams in the Indian Premier League history. One of the main reasons behind the success of CSK is Captain Cool MS Dhoni, who knows how to keep the players calm and focused during the crunch moments. Many players have become match-winners while playing under the leadership of Dhoni.
In a recent interview with the CSK website, the franchise’s throwdown specialist Kondappa Raj Palani disclosed that ahead of the IPL 2020 season, he was having a net session with the Chennai Super Kings captain. Dhoni had just retired then, and it was the first time Palani was going to meet him.
The team’s coaches Stephen Fleming and Michael Hussey told him to bowl carefully. However, since he was bowling against one of the greatest players of all time, Palani could not bowl at his best. He bowled a couple of wide balls and followed it up a full-toss. Here’s how he described that incident:
“Fleming, Hussey, and everyone said Dhoni was coming and asked me to bowl carefully. The first two balls were wides. The next ball was a full toss. Dhoni came to me and said ‘Stop looking at me and bowl’. He asked me to play naturally. I then started bowling wherever he wanted and then he was very happy.”
CSK throwdown specialist reveals the small change in MS Dhoni after he did what he wanted
During the same interview, Palani added that since he followed the advice given by MS Dhoni, he was very happy with him. Also, he started to address him with his name after that throwdown session.
Dhoni had a good season with the bat in IPL 2022, but it was not the best season for the Chennai Super Kings team. The wicket-keeper batter has confirmed that he will play in IPL 2023.
