IPL 2019 News: Mohit Sharma credits MS Dhoni for success at CSK and India

Mohit Sharma credits MS Dhoni: The Indian fast bowler was recently wax lyrical about the legendary cricketer.

Much like numerous other cricketers who have played under him, India fast bowler Mohit Sharma has credited former India captain and current wicket-keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni for all his success while playing for Chennai Super Kings and India.

Having played for Haryana in the Ranji Trophy, Sharma was bought in the IPL auction in 2013. In what ended up becoming a career-changing point for Sharma, he was fast-tracked into the Indian ODI team months later.

Having played 26 ODIs and eight T20Is for India, Sharma eventually faded away from selection at the national level. After CSK got banned for a couple of years from the tournament, Sharma was bought by Kings XI Punjab.

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In 37 matches for KXIP, Sharma picked up 33 wickets at an average of 34.51 and an economy rate of 9.19. On the contrary, his 68 wickets in 57 matches for CSK had come at an average of 22.48 and an economy rate of 7.94. With his returns also diminishing in domestic cricket, Sharma would be rejoiced to share the dressing room with Dhoni yet again.

The same was evident from one of his recent interviews where he didn’t hesitate to say that most of his learning came under Dhoni and that he brought the best out of him.

“I came under Mahi bhai‘s captaincy at Chennai Super Kings pretty early in my career, in fact I learnt a lot about my bowling from him. Mahi bhai brought the best out of me. He taught me to think about my bowling, understand the conditions and bowl accordingly,” Sharma was quoted as saying by the official website of Chennai Super Kings.

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“I learnt to handle pressure from Mahi bhai“

Sharma was a vital member of the Indian team during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Being picked ahead of Bhuvneshwar Kumar spoke highly about his form at that time. In eight matches during the world event, Sharma dismissed 13 batsmen at an average of 24.15, an economy rate of 4.98 and a strike rate of 29.

The 30-year old right-arm bowler also held Dhoni responsible for bowling making him learn to bowl under pressure during such big events. “I learnt to handle pressure from Mahi bhai, handling pressure is what T20 is about, what IPL is about and what playing at home is about,” Sharma added.

Political tension in Tamil Nadu regarding the Cauvery River water dispute had moved Super Kings’ matches out of Chennai last season. With the franchise returning to their den, Sharma claimed the atmosphere to be ‘electrifying’.

“The atmosphere here is electrifying during our games, the crowd, the support, fans and friends, playing in front of them all is exciting. I’ve loved it,” Sharma further added.

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The first match of IPL 2019 will be played between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore on March 23 at Chennai.