‘We always have fights over slower balls’ – MS Dhoni heaps praise on ‘brother’ Dwayne Bravo after RCBvsCSK game

Dwayne Bravo didn’t bowl in the last four matches of the 2021 CPL after he missed a couple of games for the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots due to injury. However, the veteran has put his best foot forward for the Chennai Super Kings in the second leg of IPL 2021 in the UAE. The 37-year-old pacer has picked up six wickets at an economy rate of a shade over a run-a-ball.

On Friday, September 24, Bravo picked up three wickets against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and gave away only 24 runs. The speedster got rid of Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Harshal Patel to walk away with the Player of the Match award. After his match-winning show at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Bravo conjured praises from CSK skipper MS Dhoni.

Dhoni praised Bravo for his guile, but also talked about the importance of not being predictable with the pacer’s slower balls. Dhoni also opined on the camaraderie they share and referred to Bravo as his “brother”.

I told Dwayne Bravo to bowl six different balls in one over, says Dhoni

“Bravo has turned up fit – that’s a very good thing. And he is executing well. I call him my brother. We always have fights over whether he should bowl the slower ball. But I told him that now everyone knows he bowls slower balls, so I told him to bowl six different balls in one over. Whenever he can, he takes up responsibilities,” Dhoni was quoted as saying in the presentation ceremony.

After being put in to bat first, RCB got off to a flying start courtesy of a 111-run stand between Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal. But after their dismissal, RCB lost their way. In the end, CSK chased down a target of 157 with 11 balls to spare. Dhoni said that Ravindra Jadeja’s spell was crucial in the context of the game.

“We were worried about the dew and we saw that last season. They got off to a great start and after the eighth or ninth over, the pitch slowed down a bit. Jadeja’s spell was very crucial especially with the way Padikkal was batting from one end. I told Moeen that he would bowl from one end during drinks, but then I changed my mind,” he added.