Chennai Super Kings pacer Mukesh Choudhary said on Thursday that the former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has guided him during his stint with the franchise, telling him to not take any pressure and move on from his mistakes. Choudhary's spell of 3/19 in three overs dismantled Mumbai Indians top order, restricting them to 155/7 in 20 overs. Knocks from Ambati Rayadu (40), Dwaine Pretorious (22) and a final-over blitz from MS Dhoni (28*) guided Super Kings to a seven-wicket win over MI at DY Patil Stadium on Thursday.
"IPL is a massive stage and pressure comes with it. Catches get dropped, and bowling misses the mark sometimes. Since last year, he (Dhoni) has been guiding me. Even right now, he tells me to not take pressure, move on from my mistakes and focus on doing good in my next games," said the bowler during a post-match discussion with batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Choudhary added that he has been working on his swing for last five to six months.
"In pre-season camp, I worked a lot with big coaches. I worked on my seam. Even in Dubai last year, I learned a lot from big players.
Reflecting on his journey as a net bowler to playing for CSK, the pacer said, "It is fun bowling like this. There is pressure, but it is still fun. I have got opportunity to bowl in a variety of conditions."
Coming to the match, Mukesh Choudhary of CSK dismissed the openers for a duck in the very first over. After this, MI fought hard with the help of Tilak Varma's 51 off 43 and managed to put up a total of 155.
Chasing 156, CSK kept losing wickets but Robin Utthappa (30) and Ambati Rayadu (40) kept the hopes alive for CSK with their knocks. The quick cameo from Pretorius(22 from 14) was very crucial in the end and the classic finisher Dhoni(28* off 13) finished the match with a boundary of the last ball.
With this win, CSK now sits at the ninth spot in points tally with 4 points and will take on Punjab Kings on April 25. On the other hand, MI is still winless in their seven matches, sitting at the bottom of the points tally. They will take on Lucknow Super Giants on April 24.