Dhoni always said, ‘Your greatest strength is to try new things’: R. Ashwin

 Former Indian captain MS Dhoni is known to have a phenomenal eye for talent. Many of the players he was associated with in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have gone on to become an integral part of the Indian squad. One such player is Indian spin bowler Ravichandran Ashwin who recently became the second fastest bowler in the world to pick up 500 wickets. “Dhoni always said, ‘Your greatest strength is to try new things, to be funky. So, do not change that for anybody else.’ I met him in Dubai after a game between Delhi against CSK and I asked him, ‘How did you find it? I have developed that back spin.’ He said, ‘You are always like that. It has been your strength. Remember, you continue to be funky. Remember, you continue to work on your variations’. I was like, this was what he told me 15 years ago,” Ashwin said in an interaction with RevzSports. 

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Indian bowler Tushar Deshpande was heavily trolled for economy rate on social media. MS Dhoni however persisted with him in 2023 and the same trend was continued when Indian batsman Rituraj Gaikwad took over as the captain of CSK in IPL. He was recently included in the Indian squad touring Zimbabwe for T20s. “Maybe it is not just the cricket that he sees. He sees, more sort of a mental strength side of things, or the mental aptitude side of things. And I find that he did that with Tushar Deshpande also for CSK. So, he continues to do that. He continues to pick people who are good in certain roles and fit them in,” Ashwin added.