IPL 2016: Steve Smith feels MS Dhoni is open to suggestions during games

Steve Smith is being congratulated by MS Dhoni after his brilliant hundred(Courtesy: iplt20.com)

One of the best batsmen in the world right now, the Australian skipper Steve Smith believes that MS Dhoni is a very good captain and is someone who also listens to the people around him. Smith, who is currently playing in the IPL 2016 under the stewardship of Dhoni, is the current leader of the Australian side across all the formats of the game.

Smith showed his class in the IPL 2016 when he scored a brilliant 101  in the game against the Gujarat Lions. However, Smith’s valiant effort went in vain as his team Rising Pune Supergiants suffered yet another defeat in the ongoing IPL 2016.

The talented right-hander, who started his career as a leg-spinner, recently said in an interview to iplt20.com, “We were basically just talking about the game, what we think can be used best at that time and I had a few ideas to share and if he wants to listen he can or he could just let it go. He did listen to a few ideas and implemented it which is nice. I think he’s pretty good with what he does, he works hard, he’s a very good captain, he listens to the people around him that have the experience as well, which is a good trait."

It was surely a great sight for cricket lovers when they saw the two captains discussing tactics amidst an IPL encounter. These are the moments that make the cash-rich league exciting for the spectators around the world.

The Australian skipper spoke about his brilliant innings too, “When I came out, I was quite positive. I was able to get a few boundaries early which always helps, eases the pressure a little bit and from there on, obviously with a little bit of luck after getting bowled of a no ball, and then kept going. I hit a few balls out there in the middle and was lucky enough to keep getting boundaries.195 was a pretty good score I thought, but we didn’t bowl and field as well as we would have liked to get us over the line.”

Smith played with surgical precision and found the gaps to perfection as he constructed one of the best hundreds ever seen in T20 cricket. He played shots all around the park and ran hard between the wickets to build his knock which also helped Pune post a huge total of 195 on the board.

Players like Kohli, Smith are showing that this version of the game can also be played without smacking the ball. These guys rely on timing and they are the ones who stick to their basics even if they are playing a T20 game.

When asked about how he feels to be coming in at number 3 for his franchise, he said, “Yeah it’s a nice place to bat. Coming in during the powerplay makes things a little bit easy. (It is) Probably the best position to bat and it’s nice to sort of get in front of the strike rate and get the run rate up and going from there. Tonight it was nice to score a few runs but disappointed that we could not get over the line.”

He also heaped praises on his RPSG teammate Ajinkya Rahane with whom he shared a valuable partnership, “I think he is a very good player, plays very good cricket shots, which is what you can do at the top. With someone at the other end who plays a bit harder, suits his style of play, Ajinkya can just sort of bat through the innings and build a few partnerships which is always crucial in this format of the game. He’s a class player and he is only going to continue to get better.”

His efforts might have gone in vain but the man surely has stamped his authority on the lucrative league with his pedigree and class.