Rahul Tripathi has revealed that MS Dhoni encouraged him in the final of the IPL 2021 after he was struggling to score runs and in running between the wickets. He also recalled his IPL debut under leadership of Dhoni and said that the captain advised him to play the way he does in nets.
The mega auction for the IPL 2022 was recently concluded and Sunrisers Hyderabad bought 23 players on their roster. In the auction, they also bought Rahul Tripathi for Rs 8.50 Crore beating Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders after an intense bidding war.
Tripathi was playing for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) last season and was crucial to their setup. He scored 397 runs in 17 matches for the franchise including two half-centuries. He was a major reason for KKR’s success helping them reach the finals last season. Tripathi shared an incident from the final revealing how Dhoni encouraged him.
“I had a hamstring injury and therefore, I came in lower down the order. I couldn’t score runs, I was really struggling to run between the wickets. After I got out, Mahi bhai tapped on my back and said: “Koi nai, aj tumhara day nahi tha, But tune hundred percent try kiya”(It wasn’t your day, but you gave your hundred percent). I was feeling very down since we lost the final, but Mahi bhai came after the game also and spoke to me for a minute or so,” Tripathi told News18.
The right-handed batsman started his journey with Rising Pune Supergiants in 2017 under the leadership of Dhoni. He then represented Rajasthan Royals and then was roped in by Kolkata Knight Riders. He recalled his IPL debut and stated that Dhoni advised him to play like he does in nets.
“I still remember when I was on my IPL debut, he (Dhoni) came and said, “jaise nets me khel rahe ho, bilkul waise hi khelo” (Play as you play in nets). He treats every player as his younger brother. He guided me throughout the tournament in 2017. Sometimes he scolded me as well. ‘Push hard….do this’,” he stated.
“Like when I was playing for Rajasthan Royals and KKR, I used to consult him whenever I got time. “Kya kar rahe ho,”(What are you doing these days) he always used to ask me.”
