IPL 2021: "MS Dhoni has guided us well and there is no pressure when playing under him" - Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur heaped praise on his Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni ahead of CSK's battle against the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2021.

MS Dhoni is leading the Chennai Super Kings for the 200th time in his career. Under his captaincy, the team has won three IPL titles and two Champions League T20 trophies.

Shardul joined the Chennai Super Kings team in 2018 and has been a part of the franchise since then. When asked to share his experience of playing under MS Dhoni, Thakur said:

"MS Dhoni is the most experienced player right now. He has been playing for so many years. He has guided us well and there is no pressure when playing under him. There's so much to tell about him that I think it is tough to sum it up in 2 or 3 lines."

A match made in heaven 😍MS Dhoni is all set to Captain @ChennaiIPL for the 200th time.#VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/1dS3bEzZDR

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 19, 2021

Reflecting on the Chennai Super Kings' victory against the Punjab Kings, Shardul Thakur added:

"To win one-sided matches is always good for a team. We have improved our net run rate a lot."

Shardul Thakur comments on his form in IPL 2021

Shardul Thakur has taken two wickets in two matches this year

Shardul Thakur played a match-winning role for India in recent international matches. However, the right-arm fast bowler has conceded 88 runs in two IPL 2021 matches, picking up just two wickets for CSK.

Speaking about his IPL 2021 performances, Shardul said:

"I think every player has ups and downs in T20 cricket. You have bad days and good days. There are only 20 overs. So, ups and downs are a part of this format. Very few players like Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers have done well consistently in T20 format. But the others have had equal good and bad days."