Young Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana was a force to reckon with in the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League. Under the leadership of MS Dhoni the cricketer has developed his skills and is now one of the most dependable bowlers in the national team. Meanwhile, speaking about his progress, the 20-year-old thanked his Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni for giving him confidence.
Pathirana acknowledged that the star captain had shown a lot of trust in him. He further mentioned that thanks to Dhoni’s influence he has gained a deeper understanding of this game and has learned how to effectively utilise his overs in the limited over cricket.
According to NDTV, Pathirana quoted,”As a youngster, if someone gives you confidence like that, it boosts your career. A player of that level showed faith in me and I believed I can do anything at that moment. Not only me, Dhoni gave confidence to all of us. There were 4-5 top players who were injured and he showed his trust in youngsters which was great.”
“I learned a lot from Dhoni. The first thing is humbleness and that’s why he is very successful. He is 42 and still the fittest cricketer which is really inspiring. When I went there, I was a kid and no one knew me and they trained and taught me several things.”
He further added,”Now, I know how to perform in any T20 game and how to balance my four overs in a match. Dhoni told me if I keep my body away from injury then I can achieve a lot for the team and the country.”
