CSK captain MS Dhoni advises Matheesha Pathirana against playing Test cricket

Chennai Super Kings captain, MS Dhoni has some advise from Sri Lanka's young fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana.

In the 49th match of IPL, when Chennai Super Kings hosted Mumbai Indians, in the first innings, Chennai Super Kings' pacer Matheesha Pathirana wrecked havoc among Mumbai Indians' batsmen, limiting them to a total of 139 runs. During Saturday's match, Pathirana effectively varied his pace and lengths, ending with impressive figures of 3-15 in four overs, primarily bowling in the death overs.

MS Dhoni recommends limited workload for Matheesha Pathirana to Ensure Longevity

Matheesha Pathirana's exceptional performance not only reinforced his status as the season's specialist in the death overs but also garnered commendation from his skipper, MS Dhoni.

“People who don’t have very clean (conventional) action, batsmen have a difficult time picking it and when trying to go after the bowler,” said Dhoni at the post match presentation.

“But his consistency, varitation, pace makes him special. What’s important is to keep an eye on how much cricket he is playing.”

Expressing his view on how to handle Pathirana's workload, Dhoni said, “I feel he should not play red-ball cricket, not even get close to it, even play only ICC tournaments with ODIs and keep the rest as less as possible, because he’s not someone who’ll change a lot.”

“This is what he’ll do. So you can always use him at crucial times. But make sure he’s fit and available for all the ICC tournaments and he’ll be a great asset for Sri Lanka. Not to forget, he’s a really young boy. Last time he came, he was very lean but has put on muscle and is stronger. I feel he’ll serve for a long time in Sri Lankan cricket but he’ll have to keep an eye on how much he bowls,” Dhoni concluded.

CSK beat MI by six wickets in Match 49 of IPL 2023

In Match 49 of IPL 2023, Chennai Super Kings emerged victorious over Mumbai Indians by 6 wickets at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday. Pursuing a target of 140 runs, CSK reached 140/4 in 17.4 overs, with Devon Conway's 44 off 42 balls being the highlight. Additionally, Conway's opening partner Ruturaj Gaikwad contributed 30 runs off 16 deliveries, while Shivam Dube remained unbeaten on 26 runs off 18 balls. Piyush Chawla claimed two wickets for MI's bowling unit. Earlier, Nehal Wadhera's knock of 64 off 51 balls helped MI reach 139/8 in 20 overs. Matheesha Pathirana shone for CSK's bowling department with 3 wickets, while Deepak Chahar and Tushar Deshpande both took two wickets each.