IPL 2017: Watch: Steve Smiths Takes Tips From MS Dhoni During The Match Against Mumbai Indians
Apr 25, 2017 at 12:04 AM
Before the start of the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League, newly-appointed Rising Pune Supergiant skipper Steve Smith had said he wanted to lead his team in his own style and had indirectly said he was not looking to seek an opinion from his predecessor Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
“I have plenty of guys to talk to, but I will not seek too many opinions. Seeking too many opinions can cloud your own judgement. I want to try and stay as clear as possible. But yes, if someone sees something and feels the need to point it out to me, they are more than welcome,” he had said.
But right after the first match when Smith played a match-winning knock against Mumbai Indians, Ajinkya Rahane had revealed how the Aussie was taking tips from Dhoni.
“Though Steve Smith has led the Australian side very well, for me, MS Dhoni is still the best leader. This was the first game as a leader for Smith, but he was learning from Dhoni as well.Smith was seen taking more tips from him. Dhoni was seen giving tips and inputs to Smith in the middle,” Rahane had said during the post-match conference.
And the latest incident that took place during the recently-concluded thriller between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiant which Steve Smith’s side won by three runs, it was more or less proved that the Supergiant skipper is relying heavily on Dhoni to take decisions during the crunch situations.
Chasing 160, Mumbai needed 24 runs off the final two overs and with a well-set Rohit Sharma and the dangerous Hardik Pandya present on the crease, the match was slightly tilted towards the two-time IPL champions.
However, Ben Stokes bowled a brilliant penultimate over, conceding just seven runs to bring his team back into the game.
But the presence of Rohit, who was batting on 52 and Pandya was still a big worry for Pune and as soon as Stokes finished his over, Smith was seen running towards Dhoni.
The Australia skipper was seen seeking some inputs from the former India skipper and those tips might have done the trick, as Pune restricted Mumbai Indians to 157 for 8 to win the thriller by three runs.
Here is a clip showing Smith running towards Dhoni after the 19th over:
https://twitter.com/Videos_SW/status/856571342602338304