CSK bowling coach Dwayne Bravo said he is thrilled at the opportunity to work with the likes of Matheesha Pathirana and Mustafizur Rahman, calling them natural talents who don’t need a lot of coaching. Bravo took over the role of CSK’s bowling coach from Laxmipathy Balaji in IPL 2023 and made his presence felt during their victorious season in 2023. The World Cup-winning former West Indies all-rounder has made sure CSK have made optimum use of their fast-bowling resources so far in the 2024 season.
“Pathirana is very special. I call him Baby Malinga. I also call him Baby Goat. He is not someone you try to coach because he has a natural ability and skill,” Bravo said, heaping praise on the Sri Lankan fast bowler.
Pathirana, who made his CSK debut in 2022, took 19 wickets in 2023, making his mark in the T20 league with his side-arm action, similar to Lasith Malinga’s. Pathirana’s ability to bowl in excess of 145kph consistently has made him a potent weapon, which MS Dhoni loves to unleash in the latter stages of the innings.
“Fizz (Mustafizur) is also very special. He has a unique action. He has the reputation of having one of the best slower balls in the world. You don’t try to over-coach these players. You just empower them with knowledge, and information and try to keep it simple.
“Tushar, I am very very impressed with him. Especially last season and also this season.
“We said in our team meetings, we want to be the smartest bowling team in the competition. We see to it that we don’t repeat our mistakes. We have to be prepared for every scenario. We do drills, especially by keeping in mind the ground dimension. We practice with vision, with a purpose. When people look at us, they should see a plan, sometimes it doesn’t work, but most times, it will,” Bravo added.
