Last Updated on 4 years ago by Charbel Coorey
Cricket News: I have learnt a lot from MS Dhoni – Dwaine Pretorius | Pretorius says MS Dhoni believes he can do anything
Dwaine Pretorius has taken abundant learnings from MS Dhoni through his stint with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the recently-concluded season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Dhoni’s nostalgic heroics in CSK’s successful chase vs Mumbai Indians on 21st April was perhaps the most iconic moment for the four-time IPL champions in an otherwise disappointing campaign.
Pretorius had played an instrumental role in that chase as he struck 22 runs off 14 deliveries including two terrific boundaries against Jasprit Bumrah in the penultimate over. Now, as the all-rounder reflects back on the season, he has a lot to talk about the art of finishing games off that he picked from Dhoni.
MS Dhoni made me believe the pressure is all on the bowler at the death – Dwaine Pretorius
“The biggest thing I learnt from him is how calm he is at the crease and how much he tries to take pressure off himself and put it onto the bowler. He made me realise that at the death, the batter isn’t under more pressure, it’s actually the bowler that is under more pressure,” Pretorius was quoted in a report by ESPNCricinfo.
“As a bowler, you can still lose the match if you have to defend 18 off the last three balls and as a batter you can win it. It was a fresh mindset. He doesn’t get too excited. He doesn’t get too down on himself. Anything is always possible and I love that about him. He is very optimistic. He believes he can do anything,” the all-rounder further heaped praise on the former Indian skipper.
Pretorius is now eager to inculcate these traits in his own gameplay as he is a part of the South African side that will take on the Indian team in a five-match T20I series starting from Thursday.
The 33-year-old is looking at becoming calmer and having the self-belief to win a game from any circumstance, much alike Dhoni. “I am going to try and bring that into my game: the calmness but also that self-belief that from any position, any game can be won,” Pretorius further told the aforementioned website.
He further termed the prevalent environment at CSK as ‘performance-oriented’. He said that the players are given the responsibility to come up with plans, prepare accordingly, believe in their work and subsequently execute the strategies on the field. He even explained that the franchise is looking to take the positives out of this disappointing campaign to build a good side going ahead.
“What was nice about the CSK franchise is that it is very experienced. We all understand that cricket doesn’t always go your way. It’s very important to just take the positives out of a bad season and try and build for a stronger future. It’s all about building for the next year or three years and trying to make sure a bad season is not a complete loss,” Pretorius further opened up about his tenure with the Dhoni-led team.
Pretorius is currently with the South Africa team ahead of their five-match T20I series in India.
