NEW DELHI: Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya on Tuesday said that one needs to be a “proper devil” to hold any grudges against the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is likely participating in his final IPL season.
As the Qualifier 1 between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans approaches at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Pandya also dismissed the misconception that Dhoni, renowned as one of India’s most accomplished captains, was a serious person.
“I’ll always be a Mahendra Singh Dhoni fan and for so many fans out there and so many cricket lovers. You need to be a proper devil to hate Mahendra Singh Dhoni,” said Pandya in a video posted by Gujarat Titans on social media.
IPL 2023, Qualifier 1: Chennai Super Kings ready for Gujarat Titans challenge
The turnaround Dhoni has effected from last season has once again brought the spotlight on him as CSK aim to bag their fifth IPL title after finishing second-last in 2022.
While last year the captaincy conundrum took a toll on the side, CSK have been in sublime form with the likes of Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ajinkya Rahane coming together to once again give the team the look of a title-winning unit.
Pandya said he had learnt a lot of cricketing nuances from Dhoni, not by picking his brains but simply by watching him in action.
“A lot of people think Mahi is serious and all that. For me, I crack jokes and I don’t see him as a Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
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GT vs CSK IPL 2023 Qualifier 1: Chennai take on Gujarat at Chepauk
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<p>The astute tactician in MS Dhoni will dig deep into his reserves to counter Indian cricket’s new ‘Crown Prince’ Shubman Gill as four-time champions Chennai Super Kings will meet their match in current title holders Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 of the IPL in Chennai on Tuesday.<br /><br /></p>
<p>Gill, who almost single-handedly knocked out a star-studded Royal Challengers Bangalore with a century for the keeps, has overshadowed Virat Kohli and will certainly force one of India’s greatest captains to go back to drawing board and make plans for him.<br /></p>
<p>Gill is in the midst of a dream season and what will be Dhoni’s tactical ploy to stop the dashing ‘Mohali Marauder’ is there to be seen.<br /></p>
<p>This season, Gujarat Titans haven’t played at the Chepauk, which hasn’t behaved in a singular manner during CSK’s seven home games and that prompted head coach Stephen Fleming to raise apprehensions about what to expect.<br /></p>
<p>What makes this battle even more interesting is the fact that GT is a team that seems closest to being a proto-type of what CSK had been all these years in IPL.<br /></p>
<p>A captain, who swears that his understanding of leadership is cut from Dhoni’s ‘captaincy cloth’, and head coach Nehra, who just like his former teammate doesn’t believe in too many changes even if a couple of games go wrong.<br /></p>
<p>So, it becomes more interesting when two teams with similar philosophy are pitted against each other. The teams which don’t make long-term promises that are difficult to fulfill but focus on immediate process and know the roles of players required for slots.<br /><br /></p>
<p>For Gujarat, tackling the slowness of the Chepauk track will be a challenge and how well they negotiate Deepak Chahar’s powerplay overs and Matheesha Pathirana’s slingers at the back-end, will determine the outcome of the match.<br /></p>
<p>GT skipper Pandya and Ashish Nehra will find Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka’s inputs handy as he has handled both Pathirana and spinner Maheesh Theekshana for the national team.<br /></p>
<p>While Shanaka might be used more as an all-rounder, GT depending on the toss can also try out left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore, who knows these conditions well.<br /></p>
<p>For CSK, a good start by the crack pair of Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad will be important. But at the Chepauk, even Ajinkya Rahane could become a factor while Shivam Dube would love to add to his 33 sixes for the season.<br /><br /></p>
<p>With GT bowling led by Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan (24 wickets each so far) things won’t be easy for the home team’s batters. How the CSK opening duo handles the relentless Shami may prove vital and it would be important for the under-performing middle-order to step up in a crunch game.<br /><br /></p>
<p>If a sluggish pitch is rolled out for the match, the spinners in the two teams would have a huge part to play. If CSK has Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali and Theekshana, the GT boast of a line-up that includes Rashid and Noor Ahmad.<br /><br /></p>
“Obviously, I’ve learnt a lot of things from him, a lot of positive things, which I’ve learnt from him just while watching, not even much talking,” said Pandya, who would be aiming to retain the IPL title the team won last year by defeating Rajasthan Royals.
The country’s top all-rounder also said that for him MSD was like a brother who he could chill around with.
“For me, he’s just my dear friend, dear brother, who I do pranks, who I chill.”
Gujarat Titans also posted a message terming Dhoni a “Captain. Leader. Legend.@msdhoni is an emotion.”
(With inputs from PTI)
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