South African Chinaman, Tabraiz Shamsi has said that bowling well to MS Dhoni in the IPL came as a massive boost for his growth and self-confidence. Tabraiz Shamsi made his IPL debut in the year 2016 for the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise. His maiden IPL match was against the Rising Pune Supergiants, wherein, MS Dhoni captained the franchise for two years when CSK was banned due to fixing.
MS Dhoni’s return was much anticipated with the return of IPL 2020 this year as he was back to the field sweating it hard for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). However, the BCCI had to postpone the tournament indefinitely due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. And, this has again given way to speculations on MS Dhoni’s future with Team India.
Now, Tabraiz Shamsi has said that he grew a lot in confidence when he bowled to MS Dhoni in his maiden IPL match against the Rising Pune Supergiants.
Tabraiz Shamsi Opens Up On Bowling To MS Dhoni
Tabraiz Shamsi said that him going well against a player like Dhoni was a perfect response to his critics who always doubted his skills.
“I got picked up in RCB as a replacement player. Team management saw me bowling well in the warm-ups and they picked me for a game. I remember bowling to MS Dhoni towards the backend of the game. I remember this moment clearly because it’s special for me. He’s probably the best finisher the game has ever seen,” he said.
“I was handling well and kept him under control. All the people who doubted me and made me feel like I’m not good enough, they can go and catch a hike, because I am here, I am doing well against the best finisher of the game. That’s how my self belief grew. From that moment my mindset changed completely, I don’t need to listen to people who think to bring me down,” Tabraiz Shamsi said while speaking at Red Inker Podcast with Jarrod Kimber.
Speculations Intensify Over IPL 2020 Future
IPL 2020 was scheduled to start from March 29, but due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BCCI postponed it until April 15. As the nationwide lockdown extended in India, BCCI suspended IPL 2020 Indefinitely. Now, with the situation worsening, it seems a huge possibility that IPL stands nothing but cancelled this year.
On April 10, latest reports suggested that the BCCI is probing into the July window to conduct the IPL and it could take place behind closed doors.
However, all hopes once again vanished as the BCCI suspended the Indian Premier League 2020 indefinitely in the light of the coronavirus pandemic. With COVID-19 victims toll rising in India, cricket returning to India seems a possibility far from reality.