"Bowl dot balls as that creates pressure in T20s" - Prashant Solanki on MS Dhoni's valuable advice
With Mumbai leg-spinner Prashant Solanki having been a net bowler for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the second half of IPL 2021, the team management believed the youngster had enough talent to be picked in the main squad.
So in the IPL 2022 mega auction, CSK shelled out INR 1.2 crore to secure Solanki's services. For any youngster, especially a spinner, it is a dream to be bowling to a wicket-keeping legend like MS Dhoni.
Indian stars like Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have been quite vocal about how Dhoni's suggestions from behind the stumps have improved them massively as spinners.
Prashant Solanki also had a similar experience in his debut season for CSK. The Chennai skipper constantly motivated him from behind the stumps and gave him some crucial tips to be successful in T20 cricket.
In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Solanki explained how Dhoni helped him keep his game simple and not get nervous by the big occasion. He said:
"Mahi bhai keeps things very simple. Whether you're bowling leg-spin, googly or top-spin, if you're not giving runs, you are bowling well. He had given us instructions that we have to bowl dot balls because that's what creates pressure in T20 cricket."
Prashant Solanki on how MS Dhoni helped him bag his maiden IPL wicket
Although Solanki went wicketless on his IPL debut, he did pick up a couple of crucial scalps against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) that helped his team fight till the end.
RR were coasting at one point with young Yashasvi Jaiswal going all guns blazing. He smashed Solanki for a six and the pressure was on the leg-spinner to make a comeback.
The 22-year-old revealed how Dhoni suggested a few tweaks from behind the stumps that helped him get Jaiswal as his maiden IPL wicket. He stated:
"In the second game, I came in to bowl a bit late because we didn't have a big total and he was shuffling the bowlers around. I was hit for a six off my first ball. Then he (Dhoni) gave me an indication that I have to pull my length back and keep it a little shorter. Let him play strokes on the bigger end. Then I was successful."
bit.ly/TataIpl-2022-68
Maiden IPL wicket for Prashant Solanki. 👍 👍
A fine catch from Matheesha Pathirana in the deep. 👌 👌
Yashasvi Jaiswal gets out for 59.
Follow the match ▶️ bit.ly/TataIpl-2022-68
#TATAIPL | #RRvCSK | @ChennaiIPL https://t.co/QF7t8hujm5
Dhoni once again helped Prashant Solanki dismiss another southpaw in the form of the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer. On this, the leg-spinner said:
"He (Hetmyer) hit me for a boundary and then Mahi bhai indicated me once again to use the bigger side of the ground. I bowled the top spinner on his legs and he miscued it and was out on deep mid-wicket." (sic)
Although the sample size of the two games is quite small, Solanki, who is managed by 5W1H, has shown enough promise to remain one of the mainstays of CSK's future bowling attack.
Read: "Shardul Thakur recommended my name to the management" - Prashant Solanki on how he ended up playing for CSK