'He showed match-like intensity' - CSK players heap praise on MS Dhoni for his performance in training camp

The much-awaited thirteenth season of Indian Premier League was all set to commence from March 29. But the outbreak of coronavirus forced the organizers to push the league to April 15. However, considering the current situation across the globe, the possibility of IPL 2020 looks very low and the tournament might be called off or pushed further to September-October.

The world has been grappling with the effects of coronavirus as the death toll across the globe has reached over 1 lakh. All the sporting events have come to a standstill including IPL 2020. India is currently under a 21-day day lockdown and the lockdown is expected to extend further to tackle the pandemic. Amid such a stern situation, many fans will miss the cricketing action of IPL 2020. Moreover, many fans, who were eager to see MS Dhoni in action, will miss the Indian skipper on the field.

MS Dhoni was set to lead Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2020 before the tournament landed into hot water. In fact, the franchise had already started training camp on March 2 which was subsequently suspended on March 14 in the wake of coronavirus outbreak. Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, who is a new entrant in CSK camp, revealed that Dhoni was focused and showed match-like intensity in the camp.

Lakshmipathy Balaji calls MS Dhoni a natural athlete

“Mahi bhai was absolutely focused, training purposefully and was looking really good. He was showing match-like intensity in the way he was batting and keeping and that was rubbing off on others,” Chawla was quoted as saying on the Chennai Super Kings’ official website.

Karn Sharma, another leg-spinner in CSK’s arsenal, also revealed that the return of Dhoni was a big boost for the team as he is a source of inspiration in the side.

“Mahi bhai was batting for two to three hours at nets every day, and the way he was hitting the ball no one could say he was returning from a long break. The way he was training was a huge motivation for the rest of us,” said Sharma.

CSK’s bowling coach Lakshmipathy Balaji also heaped praise on the former Indian skipper and termed him as a ‘natural athlete’.

“MS is a natural athlete and supremely fit. He didn’t look rusty, didn’t look one bit like he was away from the game. He was clearly looking forward to the season, the way he was training, batting, keeping and being involved with the team,” said Balaji.