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'After I got out, Mahi bhai tapped on my back': Ex-KKR star recalls conversation with Dhoni after IPL final heartbreak
The former KKR star, who will now be appearing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, recalled the IPL 2021 final defeat and his conversation with MS Dhoni.
Sunrisers Hyderabad finished the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction with 23 players on their roster, breaking the bank for a number of Indian stars including former Kolkata Knight Riders' batter Rahul Tripathi. The 30-year-old, who had set his base price at INR 40 lakh, was bought by the SRH for INR 8.50 crore as the franchise beat Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in an intense bidding war for the batter.
Tripathi had started his IPL journey in 2017 with the Rising Pune Supergiants and shared the dressing room with former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He represented the Rajasthan Royals for the two following seasons before being roped in by the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Tripathi was one of the key members of the KKR side that reached the final of the IPL last year. In an interview, he recalled the heartbreak in the final and how CSK captain Dhoni offered him support.
“I had a hamstring injury and therefore, I came in lower down the order. I couldn’t score runs, I was really struggling to run between the wickets. After I got out, Mahi bhai tapped on my back and said: “Koi nai, aj tumhara day nahi tha, But tune hundred percent try kiya”(It wasn’t your day, but you gave your hundred percent). I was feeling very down since we lost the final, but Mahi bhai came after the game also and spoke to me for a minute or so," Tripathi told News18.
Tripathi came at no.8 in the batting order and was dismissed on 2.
The batter also recalled his IPL debut with the RPS.
“I still remember when I was on my IPL debut, he (Dhoni) came and said, “jaise nets me khel rahe ho, bilkul waise hi khelo” (Play as you play in nets). He treats every player as his younger brother. He guided me throughout the tournament in 2017. Sometimes he scolded me as well. ‘Push hard….do this’. Like when I was playing for Rajasthan Royals and KKR, I used to consult him whenever I got time. “Kya kar rahe ho,”(What are you doing these days) he always used to ask me,” said the 30-year-old.
