Rachin Ravindra has been a brilliant addition to the Chennai Super Kings squad in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The New Zealand all-rounder was bought for Rs 1.8 crore by the defending champions ahead of the new season and with Devon Conway missing out on the initial part of the tournament due to injury, Ravindra was given the responsibility to open the batting. The left-hander played two brilliant knocks in their first two matches and the only blemish in his otherwise perfect run was a missed catch against Gujarat Titans. In a recent event, he was asked about his missed opportunity and whether he looked at MS Dhoni to check his reaction just after he dropped the catch.
“When you missed the catch, did you look at MS? How did he react, what did he tell you?” the anchor asked the New Zealand all-rounder.
“I don’t react a lot on the missed catches especially when the guy is having a debut and I feel Rutu is quite same just like me”
~MS Dhoni #CSKvsDC pic.twitter.com/0VMu3nNLkY
— Hustler (@HustlerCSK) March 28, 2024
Dhoni quickly intervened and said that there is a new captain in CSK now.
“Well, there’s a new captain,” MS Dhoni quipped.
“It (muscle memory) is there. But, I am not somebody who reacts a lot, especially when somebody is playing his first game or second game. I think Rutu (Ruturaj) is quite the same. But it was fun to watch him (Rachin) move all round the ground,” Dhoni added.
Earlier, Sameer Rizvi credited MS Dhoni for his small but quick and impactful knock in his first IPL match, saying the talismanic former India skipper advised him to play his natural game when he went out to bat against Gujarat Giants.
Against GT here on Tuesday night, Rizvi played a cameo of six-ball 14-run knock, which included two sixes against Rashid Khan.
“Bhaiya (Dhoni) told me to play how I generally play since it is all about the actual gameplay. He said, ‘There is nothing different. Skills remain the same, and it’s all just about mindset. Never take any pressure or be nervous, and play as per the situation’,” he said in a video on IPLT20.com.
Rizvi recalled the moment he was picked up by the franchise during the auction ahead of the season for a whopping Rs 8.4 crore, as he felt that his dream of meeting Dhoni will eventually come true.
“When I was picked up during the auction by CSK, my greatest happiness was my dream to meet Bhaiya (MS Dhoni) would be fulfilled. We also had net sessions together and got to learn a lot from him and the (support) staff. I intend to learn more and perform to the fullest.”
Having played cricket for Uttar Pradesh, he has decent T20 numbers, scoring 309 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 137.33, including two half-centuries.
(With PTI inputs)
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