Delhi Capitals’ new recruit Ripal Patel who made his Indian Premier League debut against Chennai Super Kings in Dubai on Monday, aspires to become a 'finisher' like former India captain MS Dhoni. The wicket-keeper batsman has taken the team over the line on a number of occasions and Ripal strives to replicate the same.
“I started playing cricket watching Mahi bhai and I am looking to become a finisher like him,” Patel was quoted as saying in a release issued by his franchise DC.
The youngsters get the opportunity to interact with the senior players after the match and Patel was lucky enough to have a chat with MS.
“After the game, I asked him how he finishes every match, how he thinks on the field and what goes on in his mind while chasing a score. We had a good chat and he gave me a lot of confidence,” he added.
Ripal scored 18 off 20 in his debut innings for DC as the Rishabh Pant-led side etched a win against CSK by 3 wickets in the last over in a close encounter while chasing a target of 137 in 20 overs. Both Chennai and Delhi have qualified for the playoffs in this edition of the IPL.
The Super Kings will now take on Punjab Kings on Thursday while the Capitals will lock horns with RCB on Friday in Dubai.