The cricketing expertise of Mahendra Singh Dhoni is well known around the world. He is equally remarkable in his neck for nurturing young talent since becoming the captain of the Indian cricket team for the first time in 2007. Dhoni has played an important role in cultivating a rich pool of Indian cricketers, propelling the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to batting stardom among a number of other players. This cultivation of talent extends to the Indian Premier League under the leadership of Dhoni. The Chennai Super Kings have won a record five titles, witnessing the transformation of budding talents like Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja into world-class cricketers.
But it was not only the cricketers of India who took advantage of the rich presence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the dressing room. Chennai Super Kings Sri Lanka player Matheesha Pathirana is among the first names in the national teams playing 11 in limited over formats, but Mahendra Singh Dhoni was among the first to spot him. It was Chennai Super Kings wear Pathirana who first announced his arrival in the world of cricket in 2022 and then made his national debut in the same year.
In an interaction with the Chennai Super Kings on their official YouTube channel, Pathirana showed immense respect to Mahendra Singh Dhoni for propelling his career. He labeled Dhoni as a father figure in his cricket life and said that Dhoni has always supported him.
Pathirana said, “After my father in my cricket life, Dhoni, please take on the role of the father. He will take great care of me, and also, guess what advice I have. He is quite similar to my father when I am at home. I think that is more than enough.”
Pathirana further said that “Dhoni does not tell me a number of thanks when I am on the field and off the field, but he just keeps on telling me small things that make a lot of difference and also give me a lot of confidence. Dhoni knows how to maintain the players. Off the field, we don’t talk much, but if I have to ask something from him, I will definitely go to him and ask him.”
Pathirana played an important role in the success of the Chennai Super Kings in the last edition of the Indian Premier League, where he took 19 wickets in 12 matches and helped his team win a record 5th title.
