ICC World Cup 2019 | Best thing about IPL this year was rebirth of MSD’s batting, says Kevin Pietersen
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Kevin Pietersen has stated that the recently-concluded Indian Premier League was a special one for the Indian team as MS Dhoni showed glimpses of his glorious run. Brendon McCullum has further added that MS Dhoni is invaluable to the Indian set-up thanks to his unique approach to the game.
It is often said that when you have MS Dhoni, you have already won half the battle. The CSK skipper’s game-reading ability coupled with his inventiveness behind the stumps ensured that Chennai Super Kings bowlers had one major plus point that other teams rarely have - the insurance of experimenting and being told what exactly needs to be done.
While his leadership was impeccable, the former Indian skipper reinvented himself or rather carried the momentum that he had generated in the Australia series, and struck 245 runs only in the death overs - from over 16 to 20 - at a strike rate of 185. Kevin Pietersen was all praise for the Indian wicket-keeper and believes that he will be the key for India in their quest of winning the World Cup in England this year.
“His calmness gives him the ability to judge what’s in front of him, it doesn’t matter what the situation it is, he is just one of those guys who you know would hold onto the ball when thrown at him. “The best thing about IPL this year was the rebirth of MSD’s batting, he took out all the bowling attacks in front of him,” Pietersen said while speaking on Star Sports’ new show FAB 15.
With Dhoni being out there, the opposition has always been under pressure, even in the direst of situations considering the former’s enormous experience of bailing the team out of the soup. Brendon McCullum, who played under MS Dhoni during his tenure at Chennai Super Kings, added that the ability to soak the pressure is Dhoni’s greatest strength.
“He is invaluable to the Indian team, he has a blueprint in his mind along with an approach to the game. He always puts the opposition under pressure when he arrives at the crease and reads the game perfectly. His fitness has been great, and he has been striking the ball beautifully in the recent past.”
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