"Don't stop playing your scoring shots" - Thisara Perera reveals how MS Dhoni backed him during his IPL stint

Former Sri Lanka all-rounder Thisara Perera recalled his IPL stint under MS Dhoni's leadership. He revealed how the Indian keeper-batter backed his power-hitting skills. The retired cricketer also opined that strike rate matters the most for a finisher in limited-overs cricket.

Perera had a start-stop IPL career, representing six franchises after debuting in the tournament in 2010. The attacking all-rounder was part of the Chennai Super Kings squad that lifted the trophy in 2010 under MS Dhoni. He later played under him for the Rising Pune Supergiant as well.

Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo's Cricket Monthly, the southpaw recollected Dhoni's words. He revealed that the India batter told him that any IPL franchise invests because they think the player is an excellent power-hitter. The 33-year old stated:

"The most important thing from the captain and the coach is to back me during a tournament. MS Dhoni was my best captain. He told me, 'If you are selected for any IPL team, it's because we are thinking about you as a very good power-hitter. Don't stop playing your scoring shots.'"

Several cricketers like Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, and Dwayne Bravo - all of whom have played under Dhoni for CSK - have hailed his leadership traits. The 40-year-old led the franchise to four titles and stepped down before the start of the current season.

"Fans love power-hitters so much" - Thisara Perera

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Perera admitted that power-hitters can make the fans go ballistic as they crave fireworks and that player averages are immaterial to them. He added:

"Fans love power-hitters so much: when they come to the ground they always want to see sixes and fours. But I have to tell fans: don't look at the average for power-hitters. If they can look at our strike rate, then they can see what we can do in any match."

The veteran, who retired from international cricket in May 2021, played 166 ODIs and 84 T20s for Sri Lanka. The seam-bowling all-rounder struck at 151.64 in the shortest format and 112.46 in 50-over cricket.

The Sri Lankan was also part of the national team's 2014 T20 World Cup-winning squad. In fact, he hit the winning runs in the final against India in Mirpur.