Dwayne Bravo credits MS Dhoni for death bowling success

Dwayne Bravo has continued his good form with CSK this IPL season

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has credited skipper MS Dhoni for his expertise at bowling in the death overs of a Twenty20 (T20) innings, saying that bowling to Dhoni in the nets holds him in good stead to execute his skills in a match situation. Since joining the franchise in 2011, Bravo has been one of the assigned death bowlers for the side and has done a commendable job. This season, he has already picked up 19 wickets from 13 matches and is the current holder of the purple cap.

“I practice with MS [Dhoni]. I try to contain him in the nets. If I can contain him, I can contain anyone,” Bravo said in an interview to DNA India.

“Basically, I look at the batsman as much as possible. If he moves early, I use my variations. If he is still, I bowl yorkers. I always try to think ahead of the batsman. I set the field to what I bowl.”

Bravo is not the only West Indian player to have enjoyed tremendous success at the IPL, with the likes of Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell also being integral parts of their franchises. One of the perceptible features of all these players is the sheer enjoyment they derive from playing the game and their relaxed approach to life in general.

“Yes, that's because of our culture. We are laid-back people, happy and fun-loving people just like India(ns). That's why the West Indian players get a lot of love from the fans here in India. Basically, we enjoy playing here and we enjoy entertaining the fans.”

World Cup exclusion was beyond my control: Bravo

The 31-year-old then went on to express his disappointment at missing out on the West Indies squad for the recent World Cup, adding that he had been preparing for the event for 2-3 years.

“Playing in the World Cup was my dream. I trained for it. I prepared for two-three years to get ready for it. But I was dropped for reasons beyond my control. So there's not much I can say or do about it. But I spent those two months well. I got my chance to do music back home. I also trained for the IPL. I hope I can get back into the West Indies team again,” he added.