Tushar Deshpande Shares MS Dhoni Words Of Wisdom: Pacer Tushar Deshpande has shared words of encouragement and advice he received from former India and Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni ahead of the 2023 IPL season.
The franchise first signed the right-arm pacer in 2022, but he did not play a lot that season. But in 2023, the Super Kings went through an injury crisis. With their fast bowling roster depleted with injuries to Deepak Chahar, Ben Stokes, Mukesh Choudhary, Simarjeet Singh, and Sisanda Magala, Deshpande has to step up to the plate.
And the 29-year-old from Maharashtra stood up to the challenge, taking 21 wickets in 16 games at an economy of 9.92, being the highest wicket-taker for his franchise and the joint-fifth highest in the league as CSK lifted the title for the fifth time after a thrilling final against the Gujarat Titans.
Ahead of the 2023 season, Tushar was a relatively unproven commodity in the league. He did not impress much in his debut season in 2020 with the Delhi Capitals, nor his first season with the Super Kings in 2022, getting limited play time in both of those seasons.
Tushar Deshpande Shares MS Dhoni Words Of Wisdom
In a recent interview with ESPNCricinfo, Deshpande revealed the words of wisdom he received from MS Dhoni, who is not only the joint-most successful IPL captain but also the most successful Indian Cricket Team captain, in the team camp ahead of the 2023 season.
“’You have everything to succeed at the international level. But you have to be calm during your run-up. Don’t get distracted by the crowd. Just take a deep breath, stay calm, and bowl.’ If Mahi tells you that you have everything to be successful at the international level, boss, that itself is an achievement.”
The pacer also revealed when Dhoni stressed how sticking to your strength and focusing on the game are important at the highest level of cricket.
“I was bowling good yorkers, but suddenly I bowled a bouncer and got hit for a 100-meter six. He asked me, ‘Kyun daala bouncer?’ [Why did you bowl the bouncer?] I told him I thought he was expecting the yorker. He told me: Don’t play cricket in the mind. Yorker is a yorker and no one can hit you. He was telling me we keep trying to play ahead of the game instead of staying in the present,” he said.
Ever since that 2023 IPl season, Tushar Deshpande’s stock in Indian cricket has only gone up. In 2023, he took 17 wickets in 13 games at a better economy in an otherwise batter-friendly season. He also made his national team debut against Zimbabwe in 2024.
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