"I think he shouldn't even get close to it" - MS Dhoni's advice to Matheesha Pathirana regarding red-ball cricket

Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni had an interesting piece of advice for quick bowler Matheesha Pathirana, given his impressive IPL 2023. The keeper-batter has urged the Sri Lankan to stick to T20 cricket and not even go near the red-ball format.

Pathirana was outstanding in the home game against the Mumbai Indians on Saturday, taking figures of 4-0-15-3. The 20-year-old picked the crucial wickets of Nehal Wadhera, Tristan Stubbs, and Arshad Khan as the Super Kings limted the visitors to 139-8.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Dhoni said Pathirana must play in the ICC tournaments as he can create plenty of impact and win matches for Sri Lanka:

"I think he shouldn't even get close to it. Even in white-ball cricket, the 50-over version he should play as less as possible. He should play the big ICC tournaments because he is not somebody who will change a lot."

"This [having an impact in short bursts] is what he will do, so you can always use him at crucial times. But make sure that he is fit and available for all ICC tournaments and he will be a great asset for Sri Lanka."

The former Indian captain also observed that the youngster has gained a lot more muscle this year, making him more effective:

"Not to forget, he is a really young boy. Last time [in 2022], when he came, he was slightly more lean, but he has added muscle, which means he has got pretty strong. I feel he will serve for a very long time for Sri Lankan cricket, but we'll have to keep an eye on how much he bowls."

Pathirana went unsold in the auction ahead of IPL 2022, but was drafted as a replacement for Adam Milne, who was ruled out due to a hamstring injury. While he only managed two wickets in as many games in IPL 2022, the paceman already has ten in seven matches at a strike rate of 20.80 this year.

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"What I wanted was I wanted to bat first" - MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni at the toss with Rohit Sharma. (Credits: Twitter)

Having bowled first and notching up a comfortable seven-wicket win, the 41-year-old stated that he was strongly against it initially. Dhoni added:

"Frankly I was slightly doubtful. What I wanted was I wanted to bat first. But the think tank together said there are chances of rain. I had a simple calculation. I said 3:30pm the game starts."

"Let's say you win the toss and if you are batting first, maximum in one-and-a-half to two hours the game gets over. By the time rain comes, major part of the game would be done with. I was slightly outnumbered, and I said let's go with the majority."

Devon Conway top-scored with 44 to lead CSK to their sixth win of the 2023 IPL season.