I learnt a lot of things from MS Dhoni, he gave confidence to all of us: Matheesha Pathirana

Young Sri Lanka international Matheesha Pathirana was a force to reckon with in the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League. Under the able leadership of MS Dhoni, the cricketer massively developed his skills and is now one of the most dependable bowlers in the national camp. Meanwhile, speaking about his progress, the 20-year-old thanked his Chennai Super Kings skipper, MS Dhoni, for giving him some much-needed confidence.

Pathirana stated that the legendary skipper has shown a lot of faith in him, which eventually developed him into a better bowler. He added saying that courtesy of Dhoni, he is now more aware of his game and understands how to utilise his overs in the shortest format of the game.

“As a youngster, if someone gives you confidence like that, it boosts your career. A player of that level showed faith in me and I believed I can do anything in that moment. Not only me, Dhoni gave confidence to all of us. There were 4-5 top players who were injured and he showed his trust in youngsters which was great," Pathirana stated.

“I learned a lot from Dhoni. The first thing is humbleness and that's why he is very successful. He is 42 and still the fittest cricketer which is really inspiring. When I went there, I was a kid and no one knew me and they trained and taught me several things," Pathirana was quoted as saying by NDTV.

"Now, I know how to perform in any T20 game and how to balance my four overs in a match. Dhoni told me if I keep my body away from injury then I can achieve a lot for the team and the country,” the Kandy-born continued.

We all know Cristiano Ronaldo, I got inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo: Pathirana

During his days at Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo started a new celebration trend which was followed by a lot of sportspersons later on, which includes the likes of Wayne Parnell and Matheesha Pathirana himself. Speaking about the same, Pathirana expressed his love for the Portugal star and mentioned the reason behind his celebration.

“We all know Cristiano Ronaldo and I am a fan of the footballer. So, I got inspired by his new celebration and now I am doing it as well,” Pathirana mentioned.