‘Stop looking at me and bowl’: CSK throwdown specialist recalls how MS Dhoni calmed him down

Former Indian captain MS Dhoni is undoubtedly one of the most popular cricketers both on and off the pitch. He is one of the most celebrated players globally, and after the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, Dhoni enjoys a god-like status in India.

Dhoni is widely accredited for his calmness and composure, and hardly has anyone seen him losing his temper on the field. The 40-year-old also appreciates whenever he gets an opportunity to pay respect to his die-hard fans.

Moreover, MSD never forgets to appreciate the role of the support staff, who play a crucial role behind the camera. One of such incident has been recalled by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) throwdown specialist Kondappa Raj Palani when he met Dhoni post the latter’s retirement from international cricket.

Notably, in August 2020, the Ranchi-born superstar bid adieu to Team India through a post on his official Instagram handle. He played his last game in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in Manchester. Palani talked about how Dhoni had a wonderful conversation with him when he was giving throwdowns to the legendary cricketer.

“The first time, the camp started when Dhoni retired. I saw him for the first time then. He asked if you were the throwers. He asked me to throw balls at him. The team was pleased after that. The net bowlers were speaking about his retirement. After two or three weeks, he came to play sidearm. Everybody was arriving,” Palani said on the CSK website.

Palani mentioned that everyone in the nets was talking about Dhoni’s retirement only, and Stephen Fleming and Michael Hussey told him to bowl carefully to the veteran stumper. The throwdown specialist revealed he didn’t bowl well to MSD, and then the CSK skipper came up to calm him down.

“Fleming, Hussey and everyone said Dhoni was coming and asked me to bowl carefully. The first two balls were wides. The next ball was a full toss. Dhoni came to me and said, ‘Stop looking at me and bowl’. He asked me to play naturally. I then started bowling wherever he wanted, and then he was very happy. He started addressing me every day since with my name,” the throwdown specialist added.

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May 27, 2022 at 02:59PM