Imran Tahir was all praise for skipper MS Dhoni, calling him unreal, after defending the champions, Chennai Super Kings registered their third straight win at the start of the campaign.

CSK skipper MS Dhoni plays a shot.
Image Source: PTI

Leading wicket-taker of IPL 2019 Imran Tahir was all praise for skipper MS Dhoni, calling him “unreal”, after defending champions Chennai Super Kings registered their third straight win at the start of the campaign.

After CSK beat Rajasthan Royals by eight runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday, Tahir said that Dhoni knows how to lift the team up. “The way he carries himself is just unreal. He won’t say much but he knows how to lift the team up. He is a great leader and a great human being,” said Tahir at the post-match press conference.

Dhoni hit a match-winning unbeaten knock of 75 off 46 balls to guide his team to a respectable total of 175 under challenging conditions. “You know Dhoni plays really well in these situations because like, (Dwayne) Bravo, he’s done this so many times, and that’s why he’s called Mr. Cool. He works hard on his game plan. Even in practice sessions, he helps his team-mates. And we respect that.”

“I think as a bowling group we did really well. Even while batting, Mahi bhai played unbelievably well and set the tone for us. I’m just really happy with whatever we did as a team,” he told reporters after the match.

“I am feeling very good, very proud. It was there (dew); I tried to use my experience but the ball was really wet. It’s always nerves. The first match I dropped a catch, so didn’t want to repeat the mistake. Every catch is a difficult one,” said Tahir.

“It’s the passion and respect I have for the game. I don’t take anything for granted. Whenever I am playing, I try to contribute to my team,” he added.

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