Pathirana, who just recently played brilliantly for the Colombo Strikers in the LPL 2023, being the joint-highest wicket-taker with 12 scalps, reserved high regard for Dhoni’s character and fitness level. Pathirana credited Dhoni with being the reason the Colombo Strikers were able to become the joint-highest wicket-taker.
If someone instills such confidence in you when you’re young, it can do wonders for your professional life. Because a player of that caliber had faith in me, I felt as though I could accomplish anything at that very moment. Dhoni inspired confidence in each and every one of us, not just in me.
“There were 4-5 top players who were injured, and he showed his trust in youngsters, which was great,” Pathirana noted, stressing Dhoni’s trust and confidence in younger players.
Pathirana made the observation that Dhoni stands out due to the fact that, despite his incredible achievement, he maintains a humble nature. The Sri Lankan bowler praised Dhoni as the fittest cricketer despite his advanced age of 42, and he did so with a hint of awe in his tone of voice and an overwhelming amount of respect in his comments.
Dhoni was an excellent teacher for me. The first thing is humility, and that is the reason why he has achieved a great deal of success. “At the age of 42, he is still the fittest cricketer, which is really inspiring,” said he.
Pathirana describes himself as an unskilled player who was unfamiliar with the T20 game dynamic when he first started playing the game. This was before he experienced his roaring success and achievements. The CSK staff, lead by Dhoni, provided him with the direction and training he needed to learn the knowledge necessary to deliver a well-rounded performance inside the allotted time of a Twenty20 game (four overs).
“When I went there, I was a kid, and no one recognized me, so they trained and educated me on a variety of topics. Pathirana revealed, “Now I know how to perform in any T20 game and how to balance my four overs in a match.”
Pathirana finds encouragement in Dhoni’s advice that remaining injury-free is critical to the success of the team and the nation as a whole in attaining their goals. He is a living example of the impact that Dhoni has had on the team, and he demonstrates how a great captain inspires, guides, and coaxes the absolute best performance out of each and every player, ultimately producing champions.
