Age just a number when it comes to Dhoni: Gavaskar

On Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar playing under Virat Kohli, the former India captain said that Patidar played under Kohli and spent a lot of time with him, so he would have obviously gelled a lot easier.

Hyderabad: ”Why should we even ask that question? Why put pressure on him? Every time people question MS Dhoni, he proves them wrong. Don’t doubt his ability,” says cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar in a chat on JioHotStar.

“Even at this age, he’s hitting sixes not just past the boundary but into the stands during practice. Age is just a number when it comes to Dhoni,” Gavaskar said.

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On Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar playing under Virat Kohli, the former India captain said that Patidar played under Kohli and spent a lot of time with him, so he would have obviously gelled a lot easier.

“You could see that as soon as he went in to bat, Kohli was giving him the confidence to relax and play. And what an innings Virat Kohli played! What an innings Patidar played! ,” he exclaimed.

“It was a superb knock—the way he was stroking the ball and making it look easy. Recognising that a quick victory is also important in the long run, RCB’s ability to restrict KKR from what initially looked like a 200-210 score down to 175 will give them loads of confidence,” Gavaskar said.

“As a captain and a batter, Rajat Patidar has come good. Everything he did, including bowling changes, was outstanding,” he said.

On the attacking mindset by batters in the IPL, Gavaskar said they were getting more adventurous and aggressive.

“ They understand that the powerplay—where only two fielders are outside the inner circle—must be capitalised on,” he said. “You have to aim for 10-12 runs per over and reach around 60-75 runs in the first six overs, even if you lose just one wicket. That creates a strong platform to push towards 180-200 runs,” he concluded.