Dhoni almost killed me as soon as he came into bat: KL Rahul

For those who’ve seen the first T20I against Sri Lanka, they witnessed what champion material former India skipper MS Dhoni is made of. Although, there is no denying the fact that Dhoni is at the fag end of his career but opener KL Rahul believes that the wicketkeeper-batsman is still a match-winner for India and continues to be an inspiration in the dressing room.

Promoted to the no.4 position, Dhoni made an unbeaten 39 off 22 deliveries before affecting four dismissals behind the stumps to help India record a massive 93-run win over Sri Lanka in the first T20 International last night. In the process, Dhoni became the player with second most dismissal in the shortest format of the game. With 201 dismissals in 272 matches, the former captain has become the second wicketkeeper after Kamran Akmal (207 in 211 matches) to complete 200 dismissals or more in T20Is.

Speaking at the post-match conference, Rahul revealed, “I see him (Dhoni) as motivated in the dressing room as I always have. He’s somebody we look up to, he’s a match winner and he will always be one.”

“He is in great shape, and he almost killed me as soon as he came into bat,” he added with a smile referring to a brutal shot by Dhoni to hit his first four on Wednesday.

Rahul feels he needs to stay true to his game to be successful

Following his dismissal on 61, Dhoni played an ideal finisher’s role justifying the tag with a swift 22-ball 39 not out. His innings comprised of four boundaries and a six to lift India to 180 for 3. The Islander could manage a measly 87/10 in reply as they slumped to their sixth consecutive T20I defeat.

Returning to the squad after being dropped in the ODI series, Rahul top-scored for India to grab the opportunity in the absence of regular opener Shikhar Dhawan. He said it took him a while to realize he needed to stay true to his game to be successful.