New Finisher Sameer Rizvi
Chennai Super Kings newly-recruit hard-hitter Sameer Rizvi has opened up on fulfilling his dream to meet Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the advice he got from the legendary wicketkeeper batter. CSK splashed a massive INR 8.4 crore to sign the UP star in the IPL 2024 auction. Rizvi grabbed the limelight after his heroics in the inaugural edition of the UPT20 where he scored two centuries to finish with 455 runs in the tournament. Fans were quite shocked to see CSK bidding for an uncapped player. They went for him without seeing the price. Several other franchises were also interested in him. Almost every team did bid for him at least once. But in the end Chennai won the bid. The 20 year old arrived in Chennai with a big reputation as a power-hitter the tag which has been associated with MS Dhoni for the past many years.
MS Dhoni gave him advice
Rizvi revealed the advice he got from the former CSK captain as the UP batter announced his arrival at the IPL with a massive six on the first ball off Rashid Khan’s delivery. “Dhoni bhai told me just one thing. How you have been playing till now, that’s the game. You just need to play like that. There’s nothing different. The skill is the same and the mindset maybe a little different. So whenever you’re playing, don’t feel the pressure,” Rizvi told the IPL website.
Play your natural game
The 20-year-old said that Dhoni had simple advice for him to continue doing what you have been doing till now. “Just play according to the situation. Then you won’t feel the pressure. Then you won’t be nervous. Obviously, it’s your first game, so you would be nervous. But just play how you have been playing till now,” said Rizvi.
Rizvi wished meeting MS Dhoni
Rizvi triggered bidding wars in the IPL auction as several franchises went after him to acquire his services, however, in the end, it was the defending champions who sealed the deal. He wished that meeting Dhoni was a dream for him and now playing alongside him is nothing sort of a surreal experience of him as both of the team also had a lot of net sessions together. “When I was picked by CSK during the IPL auction I was very happy. It was a dream of mine to meet MS Dhoni. Playing with him was something I hadn’t thought of, but meeting him was a dream. Now that dream has been fulfilled and I’m getting to play alongside him. We have had a lot of net sessions together, and I have a learned lot from him. I have learned from the coaching staff as well. So That’s my aim to learn as much as possible from this team,” said Rizvi.