'I learned a lot from Dhoni': Matheesha Pathirana opens up on playing under MSD's leadership at CSK

Sri Lanka pacer Matheesha Pathirana on Wednesday credited MS Dhoni for developing his skills as a bowler and for instilling confidence not just in him but to several other cricketers.

Pathirana, nicknamed ‘Baby Malinga’ for his slingy bowling action that bears resemblance to that of Sri Lankan pace legend Lasith Malinga, opened up on his experience of playing under Dhoni’s leadership in Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the last two seasons.

“As a youngster, if someone gives you confidence like that, it boosts your career. A player of that level showed faith in me and I believed I can do anything in that moment. Not only me, Dhoni gave confidence to all of us. There were 4-5 top players who were injured and he showed his trust in youngsters which was great,” Pathirana said.

Pathirana made two appearances in the 2022 season for CSK but would go on to have a much bigger role this year, making 12 appearances and becoming a designated death-overs bowler. The 20-year-old would collect 19 wickets across the 2023 season at an average of 19.53, his performances playing an important part in guiding the ‘Yellow Army’ to their fifth IPL title.

“I learned a lot from Dhoni. The first thing is humbleness and that’s why he is very successful. He is 42 and still the fittest cricketer which is really inspiring. When I went there, I was a kid and no one knew me and they trained and taught me several things. Now, I know how to perform in any T20 game and how to balance my four overs in a match. Dhoni told me if I keep my body away from injury then I can achieve a lot for the team and the country,” added the pacer.

Pathirana is going through a purple patch in the fourth edition of the Lanka Premier League, where he is representing Colombo Strikes and is currently the joint-highest wicket-taker alongside Nuwan Pradeep with 12 wickets in eight matches.