New Delhi, March 6 (IANS) Indian cricketer Rahul Tripathi has revealed how some advice from his former captain MS Dhoni ahead of his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut helped him back in 2017. Tripathi said Dhoni told him not to try anything extra and to play his natural game. Tripathi made his IPL debut during the tenth season of the league, where he was a part of the Rising Pune Supergiants, along with Dhoni. Ahead of his first match for the franchise, the former India captain helped Tripathi calm down his nerves.
“Two days before I was going to play my first match, I was observing him in the dressing room. He called me and told me not to try or think about anything extra and asked me to play the way I was playing while training. Given that this advice came from a cricketer of that stature and the fact that I was going to play my debut match, it gave me a lot of confidence. It really calmed my nerves,” Tripathi said on the House of Glory podcast.
“I am blessed to have gotten the time to spend with him. It’s the dream of many people in the cricket world to share experiences with him and play alongside him. And by being with him, I have seen that he keeps it simple,” he further added.
After a long wait, Tripathi finally made his international debut for India during the T20I series against Sri Lanka in January 2023 at the age of 31. Recalling the testing times, the top-order batter revealed how he remained positive while waiting for his opportunity to play for India.
“I never gave up. At times, it was tough, and it felt that the dream to represent India was quite far away. But I decided to keep trying and always believed that one day I would get the opportunity I was waiting for. And I feel this belief was one of the reasons why I finally received the opportunity,” he said.
“It was a very emotional moment. After travelling with the team for 6-7 hours, I was finally able to make my T20I debut. Coincidentally, I made my debut at my home ground in Pune, where I have been playing cricket since childhood. So I think it was all written,” Tripathi added while recollecting the moment when he received his debut T20I cap.
Apart from his hard work and patience, the 34-year-old credited his success to Abhishek Nayar, the former India cricketer and batting coach of the current Indian team.
Sharing the experience of working with Nayar in the Kolkata Knight Riders camp, Tripathi said, “I think the biggest and most important contribution in my journey has been made by Abhishek Nayar. I consider him my elder brother. Meeting him was the changing point of my life. “We played together in BPCL for a year, but when I joined KKR, it was a different experience with Dinesh Karthik also being there. I really enjoyed my time there. I call him Abhi dada, and I feel it’s because of his contribution that I was able to fulfill my dream to play for India.”
In the upcoming 18th edition of the IPL, starting from March 22, Tripathi will ply his trade for the five-time champions Chennai Super Kings.
–IANS
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