Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni showcased why he is regarded as one of the smartest minds to have ever played the game when he revealed discussions with Dwayne Bravo on the West Indies all-rounder’s slower-ball variations. Dhoni was at his candid best as he heaped praise on Bravo who hurt Royal Challengers Banglaore, helping CSK seal a 6-wicket win in Match 35 of IPL 2021 on Friday in Sharjah.
Bravo picked up 3 wickets and gave away just 24 runs as he plotted the downfall of RCB who got off to a flyer in the much-anticipated southern derby in Sharjah. RCB went from 111 for 0 in 13.1 overs to get restricted to 156 for 6 in 20 overs after Bravo triggered the implosion by removing Virat Kohli who was going great guns for 53.
Bravo made life difficult for the power-packed RCB middle-order and removed Glenn Maxwell in the final over wherein he gave away just 2 runs.
“He has turned up fit, that is a very good thing. And he is executing very well,” Dhoni said after CSK’s 6-wicket win in Sharjah.
“I call him my brother. We always have the fight every year as to whether he needs to bowl so many slower balls or not.
“I said ‘you do it to bluff the batsmen but now everyone knows Bravo is known for the slower deliveries. So why not bowl 6 different deliveries whether it’s yorker or length. Let them be surprised by saying ‘oh he didn’t bowl the slower one’. That’s what it’s all about bluffing. ‘You want to confuse the batsman’. That’s another way,” Dhoni added.
“He is an ace when it comes to this format. He has played all over the world, in different conditions, whenever the team needs him, he has taken up responsibility and done well for us.”
