Describing the kind of admiration that Matheesha Pathirana had in her eyes while expressing her gratitude towards MS Dhoni is quite a difficult thing to do.
But as she described in her own words, Matheesha Pathirana considers MS Dhoni as her father of cricket, who doesn’t talk much but pays attention to the smallest detail. That is the most heartfelt and touching message a Sri Lankan could have ever given to Dhoni.
Matheesha Pathirana expresses gratitude towards MS Dhoni
Just yesterday, CSK’s Bangladeshi seamer Mustafizur Rahman wrote a few words of gratitude for MS Dhoni in his farewell post from IPL 2024. And just a few hours later, Chennai Super Kings’ YouTube channel uploaded Matheesha Pathirana’s message for the five-time IPL winning captain.
In a seven-minute long video, Matheesha Pathirana spoke in depth about her journey in the Indian Premier League and how she felt working in the CSK camp. In one of the segments, the 21-year-old, nicknamed ‘Baby Malinga’, told us how important MS Dhoni has been in his career.
Pathirana came to the richest cricket league as a replacement bowler in 2022 when he was just 19 years old. At 20, he has 34 IPL wickets in just 20 matches, but more importantly, he has an Indian Premier League trophy to show for it. All this happened to him under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.
So, not only is it clear that Dhoni had his hand on Matheesha Pathirana’s head, but it is also clear that the latter will have a great career in cricket. Since he considers Dhoni as a father figure in cricket, if Pathirana’s career declines from now on, it will be solely his fault.
But that is far from becoming a reality because Pathirana feels that the support MS Dhoni has given him is enough to make a successful career.
“After my father, in my cricket life, he (Dhoni) plays the role of my father. He looks after me and gives me advice on what to do, similar to what my father does when I am at my house. I think it’s enough,” Pathirana said in a YouTube video shared by CSK.
Small things but big impact
Matheesha Pathirana went on to add that MS Dhoni doesn’t tell her many things, but everything he says, even the smallest thing, has a big impact. Dhoni’s slightest advice and suggestions may mean nothing to the world, but they do a lot of good for Pathirana, especially his self-confidence.
“He doesn’t tell me many things when I’m on and off the field, but he only tells small things that make a big difference and give me a lot of confidence. He knows how to keep the players. Off the field we don’t talk much, but if I have to ask him something, I will definitely go and ask him,” Matheesha Pathirana concluded.