Former India spinner Murali Kartik praises Matheesha Pathirana and says MS Dhoni uses him like a remote control.
Murali Kartik Praises Matheesha Pathirana
Matheesha Pathirana who plays for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2023 season played 4 games so far and bagged 4 wickets at an economy rate of 8.69.
Chennai Super Kings played 8 games so far in IPL 2023 season and registered 5 victories and holds 3rd spot in the IPL 2023 points table. CSK was stripped down from the top spot right after their 32 runs defeat against RR on Thursday.
While suggesting that Santner could be the x-factor for CSK, Kartik said that Pathirana has thrived under the leadership of MS Dhoni, who has used the youngster like a remote control.
“Mitchell Santner could replace Theekshana if he does at all. Pathirana is a seam bowler, he bowls really well in death overs. He’s emerging really well under MS Dhoni. Dhoni uses him like a remote control, Pathirana does what Dhoni wants. So, I won’t replace Pathirana,” Kartik said during a discussion on a sports website.
Another special fielding effort ft. @Ruutu1331 😎
Matheesha Pathirana with the wicket of Heinrich Klaasen 👏👏
Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/0NT6FhLcqA#TATAIPL | #CSKvSRH pic.twitter.com/sOAPbE5nQa
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 21, 2023
Kartik added that Santner deserves a place in the team as he has the ability to contribute in all three departments — batting, bowling and fielding.
“Seam bowling is a weak link for CSK. Akash Singh has done well, he bowled four back-to-back overs in the previous game. From the first day, I’ve been saying that Mitchell Santner bowls good against any batter in any situation. There’s no better batter among bowlers than Santner. And he’s a gun fielder, his arm movement is brilliant. So, for me, there’s a case for his inclusion. But then, MS looks at the game differently,” he added.
CSK will play their next game against Punjab Kings on April 30 in MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
