Almost a decade ago when former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden introduced the mongoose bat, it instantly became a sensation, as it was different from anything fans had seen before. During a conversation with CSK presenter Rupha Ramani, Hayden revealed how skipper MS Dhoni reacted to his bat.
The former Australian opener revealed that Dhoni did not want him to use the bat. “I’ll (Dhoni) give you anything you want in life, to not use this bat! Please do not use this bat,” Hayden said.
A confident Hayden, who had been practicing with that bat for a year and a half convinced Dhoni that the bat is better when it comes to striking the ball better.
“I’ve been using this bat for practice for about a year and a half and when it hits the middle of the bat it goes 20 metres further,” the left-handed batsman further said in the video.
Also read : Australia Keeper Alex Carey Keen to Emulate MS Dhoni’s Path, Says I Would Love to Become Half as Good as Him
He also confessed he did not want it to affect his form and the team as he had done his homework.
“I wasn’t going to put my franchise on risk by performing badly because of the bat. I had done my homework,” he said.
#Thala Dhoni to Haydos: “I’ll give you anything you want in life, to not use this bat! Please do not use this bat!” 😂🦁💛 @HaydosTweets #AnbuDenLions @RuphaRamani pic.twitter.com/Hm5wSCzLWH
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 8, 2020
Considering it to be a bold decision to play with the mongoose bat, Hayden admitted having fun while batting with it.
“It was a courageous decision to use it and believed it was going to make my game better. On a couple of occasions, I used it, I loved it, it was fun,” the Aussie former opener added.
Read also : England’s Jos Buttler Expresses Admiration for Former Indian Skipper MS Dhoni
