Dhoni has taught me to remain calm in tense situations, claims Sharma

Sudhir Gupta 10:06 14/05/2014
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Impressive: Mohit Sharma.

    Mohit Sharma has taken huge strides since making his Indian Premier League debut last season and he continues to impress with his accuracy and consistency.

    The Chennai Super Kings bowler currently tops the wicket-takers list in IPL7 with 18 wickets from 10 matches and he attributes his success to his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

    Sharma revealed that Dhoni’s ability to stay calm during tense situations in a match helps the rest of the pack stay unruffled and perform.

    It was evident against Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday when Sharma was hit for two boundaries and a six by Shane Watson.

    A quick piece of advice from Dhoni followed and Sharma responded by dismissing the Rajasthan captain off the next ball.

    “Staying calm is everything. That is what I have learnt from playing all these years and with Mahi (Dhoni) around, things become that much easier," said Sharma. 

    “He shows you how to remain calm under pressure. You will only feel the pressure when your captain yells at you. But here, the best thing is that he comes to you and explains where you went wrong. The six that Watson hit was actually my fault, given the nature of this wicket. Dhoni came and told me that on this wicket, which is slow, I shouldn’t have tried to bowl a yorker.

    “He told me that back-of-length and normal length balls aren’t so easy to hit here. So he told me to bowl my normal back-of-length ball, which was good enough.

    “I have learnt from him how to handle yourself under pressure and perform well. You saw how he took the team across the line with two balls to spare,” he added.

    In his first IPL season Sharma claimed 20 wickets in 15 matches which eventually paved way for his selection to the Indian team.

    He made an immediate impact with figures of 10-3-26-2 to claim the man of the match award on his one-day international debut against Zimbabwe.

    He has carried that form this season and been impressive with his discipline and variations in pace.

    Recommended