'I kept MS Dhoni under control in IPL', says Tabraiz Shamsi
South Africa's left-arm chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi has revealed how bowling well to MS Dhoni, captain of the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant, in 2016 IPL helped him grow in confidence in his abilities.
In a candid conversation at the Red Inker Podcast with Jarrod Kimber, Shamsi spoke about his debut match in the 2016 IPL season where he was picked as a replacement player for RCB. He recollected bowling well to opposition captain MS Dhoni, whom he considers the best finisher in the game.
“I got picked up in RCB as a replacement player. Team management saw me bowling well in the warm-ups and they picked me for a game. I remember bowling to MS Dhoni towards the backend of the game. I remember this moment clearly because it’s special for me. He’s probably the best finisher the game has ever seen."
'I kept MS Dhoni] under control': Tabraiz Shamsi
Shamsi claimed Ajinkya Rahane's wicket and registered figures of one wicket for 36 runs in that match. RCB went on to defend the 185-run target and won a thriller by 11 runs. Shamsi bowled a total of 11 balls to MS Dhoni where he conceded only 18 runs, including two glorious boundaries.
Shamsi took a dig at his critics, saying that if he could bowl well at the best finisher the game has ever seen, then he could do it against anyone. Shamsi pointed out that throughout the game, he kept the former Indian skipper's free-flowing hitting abilities under control.
“I was handling well and kept him under control. All the people who doubted me and made me feel like I’m not good enough, they can go and catch a hike, because I am here, I am doing well against the best finisher of the game. That’s how my self belief grew. From that moment my mindset changed completely, I don’t need to listen to people who think to bring me down.”