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'He shouldn't play red-ball cricket': Dhoni's make-or-break advice for CSK's 'special player' after MI win
MS Dhoni had some special advice for a CSK player, but also had a hint of caution. He spoke about the player after their win vs MI.
Matheesha Pathirana was in hot form during Chennai Super Kings' six-wicket victory against Mumbai Indians in Match 49 of IPL 2023, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The Sri Lankan pacer bagged three wickets in four overs and conceded only 15 runs as Mumbai were restricted to 139/8 in 20 overs. Other than Pathirana, Deepak Chahar and Tushar Deshpande were also in good form, bagging two dismissals each. Meanwhile, MI had a batting collapse, with only Nehal Wadhera playing a noteworthy knock of 64 runs off 51 balls.
Chasing a target of 140 runs, CSK reached 140/4 in 17.4 overs, courtesy of some good batting from Devon Conway (44), Ruturaj Gaikwad (30) and Shivam Dube (26*). For MI's bowling department, veteran spinner Piyush Chawla took two wickets.
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With an unusual bowling action, Pathirana has taken 10 wickets this season in 15 matches, and is MS Dhoni's trump card in tight situations. Speaking after CSK's win vs MI, Dhoni had some special advice for Pathirana and it also included a warning.
"People who don't have very clean (conventional) action, batsmen have a difficult time picking it and when trying to go after the bowler. But his consistency, variation, pace makes him special. What's important is to keep an eye on how much cricket he is playing. I feel he should not play red-ball cricket, not even get close to it, even play only ICC tournaments with ODIs and keep the rest as less as possible, because he's not someone who'll change a lot. This is what he'll do", he said.
“So you can always use him at crucial times. But make sure he's fit and available for all the ICC tournaments and he'll be a great asset for Sri Lanka. Not to forget, he's a really young boy. Last time he came, he was very lean but has put on muscle and is stronger. I feel he'll serve for a long time in Sri Lankan cricket but he'll have to keep an eye on how much he bowls,” he further added.
Other than Pathirana, Deshpande has also been a revelation for CSK this year. He currently leads the Purple Cap race with 19 wickets in 11 games.
