3 unknown fast bowlers who became stars under MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni is regarded as one of the greatest captains in sports history. The wicket-keeper batter has won almost every tournament where he has led a team. One of the biggest reasons behind Dhoni's success is his ability to use the available resources to the maximum potential and bring the best out of them.
Quite a few lesser-known players became superstars while playing under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. The most recent name on that long list is of Tushar Deshpande. The uncapped pacer joined the Chennai Super Kings last year. So far, he has played five matches, scalping six wickets for the team.
Deshpande proved to be quite expensive with the ball in the first few games. He remained wicketless as well, which hurt CSK a lot. However, in his last two outings, Deshpande has picked up multiple wickets for CSK.
He dismissed Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni during the match against the Lucknow Super Giants, while Deshpande picked up the big wickets of Rohit Sharma and Tim David in the previous game against the Mumbai Indians. CSK ended up on the winning side in both the matches.
Deshpande played a vital role in CSK's wins, which is why he is likely to play the entire season for the franchise now. As mentioned ahead, many players have realized their full potential under MS Dhoni. Here's a list of 3 other fast bowlers who became stars under Dhoni's captaincy.
#1 Deepak Chahar
Deepak Chahar was roped in by the Rajasthan Royals back in 2011. However, RR never gave him an opportunity to play. The medium pacer continued to impress in domestic cricket, which eventually helped him earn a deal from the Rising Pune Supergiant in IPL 2016.
Chahar made his IPL debut under Dhoni's captaincy that season. He could not take any wickets, but his bowling impressed Dhoni as he received a contract from Chennai Super Kings in 2018. Chahar made a massive impact after joining CSK, scalping 32 wickets in 2018 and 2019.
He received a call-up to the Indian squad as well. Currently, he is one of the highest-paid players in the IPL.
#2 Shardul Thakur
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Shardul Thakur made his IPL debut for Punjab Kings in 2015, but his career found a proper direction when he moved to Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017. After a decent season with RPS, Thakur received a place in the CSK squad for the 2018 season.
Playing under MS Dhoni's leadership, Thakur bagged 16 wickets in 13 matches in 2018. His brilliant bowling helped CSK become the champions. Like Deepak Chahar, Thakur made his debut for India soon after.
#3 Joginder Sharma
Joginder Sharma - Unknown before winning World T20 in 2007 @castrolcricket #ClingOnToVictory sportskeeda.com/general-sports… https://t.co/lMMDi4i5P2
Joginder Sharma made his debut for India in 2004, but not many fans knew about the fast bowler's talent before the ICC T20 World Cup 2007. The pacer came into the limelight while playing under MS Dhoni's leadership at the mega event in South Africa.
Sharma took the wicket of Michael Hussey in the semifinal match against Australia. MS Dhoni handed him the responsibility of bowling the 20th over in the final against Pakistan. Sharma did a fantastic job as he dismissed Misbah-ul-Haq and helped India become the inaugural T20 World Cup champions.