"Game can be won from any position"- Dwaine Pretorius on his learning from MS Dhoni in the IPL
The four-time champions, Chennai Super Kings, had a horrible season in the TATA IPL 2022. They finished the tournament at the second from the bottom with only four wins and ten defeats.
However, even after a miserable performance in the season, Chennai Super Kings were able to find a few players that could take the team ahead in the coming years in the IPL.
One such player was the South African all-rounder, Dwaine Pretorius, who made his IPL debut in the 15th edition of the cash-rich league. He represented CSK in six games and performed exceedingly well with the ball and bat as well.
Pretorius is also part of the South African team that will play a five-match T20I series against India starting on June 9. He is currently training with his team in Delhi and stated that he wants to be as calm and composed as MS Dhoni.
He was involved in a match-winning partnership with MSD against Mumbai Indians when Dhoni finished the game needing a boundary off the last ball. In a video conference ahead of the start of the series, the all-rounder said that he wants to bring the same calmness into his game as MS Dhoni.
He said of his CSK skipper that he doesn't get much excited and knows anything is possible and always remains optimistic and believes that he can do anything. The all-rounder said, "I'm going to try and bring that into my game - the calendar but also the self-belief that from any position, any game can be won."
Pretorius added that MSD made him learn that in the final overs, the whole pressure is on the bowler rather than the batter. He highlighted that a bowling team can even lose the match if they need to defend 18 off the last three balls, but the batting team can still win.
Pretorius also said that he learned a lot playing under MS, and the biggest thing he learned was how to remain calm and how to put pressure on the bowler. The all-rounder concluded that he enjoyed every moment and loved playing under Dhoni.