Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera, recently, went down memory lane as he recalled his stint with the Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) where he played under the captaincy of the legendary Indian skipper, MS Dhoni.
For the unversed, Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) was added to the cash-rich league for two years before it was removed from the league.
In one of the games during the 2016 edition of the Indian Premier League, Perera was at the crease with MS Dhoni, when the latter’s advice helped the Sri Lankan cricketer find his mojo. Speaking to News9, Perera revealed his conversation with MS Dhoni, he said:
“I remember a special incident with MS Dhoni for Rising Pune Supergiants, in 2016, and that is where I felt that Dhoni is like my brother. In one of the matches, we were 35-5, and I came down to bat. MS was the non-striker.”
He added:
“He walked up to me and said, ‘Hi, TP. Let’s just bat’. I defended my first ball and he comes to me knocking the pitch – ‘Hey, TP. What are you doing?’ I said, ‘I am just watching the ball.’
“The reply from him was very special, something which I didn’t expect with the sort of scorecard we were having at that time. ‘No, no. I picked you because you can hit the ball miles away. Go explode’,”
Further, Thisara Perera hailed MS Dhoni as one of the best skippers he has ever played under. MS Dhoni is regarded as one of the most successful captains around the world, having won all the major ICC awards and trophies for the Indian cricket team. Talking about him, Perera said:
And from there on, I was just hitting every ball. I got around 18-ball 40 or something, which took the momentum away from the opposition. MS played until the 20th over and we scored around 170 or 180 from 35-5. And that is why it is always special to play under MS. He is one of the best captains, I have played under in my career,”
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