MS Dhoni always encouraged me to try new things, reveals R Ashwin

One of the biggest finds of the Chennai Super Kings camp was none other than India’s ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. The 33-year-old off-spinner, before making his India debut in 2010, first appeared in the IPL in the 2009 season. He went on to be a part of the IPL winning CSK teams in 2010 and 2011 editions. The former Kings XI Punjab skipper has credited CSK captain, MS Dhoni, for backing him in continuing trying new things with his bowling. Dhoni not only supported Ashwin during his CSK days but also during his time as the Team India captain.

“This is a story a lot of people might not associate with MS Dhoni but I’d like to bring this to the surface. Many a times, when people question MS Dhoni about how he does it, he talks about the process and doesn’t divulge a lot of his secrets. But the one person that has encouraged me day-in day-out in terms of trying new things is MS Dhoni,”  Ashwin said during a live chat, reported Times Now.

Ashwin further added that it was Dhoni who identified his caliber early on in the spinner’s career. The 33-year-old hence credited Dhoni for making him believe in his talent. 

“He saw that streak in me early on, for both CSK and India. People always say that I try too much and experiment too much. I’ve also questioned myself and MS Dhoni has constantly told me that my biggest strength is that I can bowl anything. He said that at the end of the day, I’m bloody good at what I do,” he added.