Published: Oct 05, 2014, 04:07 PM (IST)
Edited: Oct 05, 2014, 04:07 PM (IST)
Oct 5, 2014
Left-arm spinner Pawan Negi highlighted that MS Dhoni gave him a lot of confidence which helped him bowl positively in the Champions League T20 2014 (CLT20) final. Negi picked five for 22, the best bowling figures in the tournament’s history and was adjudged Man of the Match as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) cruised to an eight-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
“MS Dhoni had a lot of confidence in me and the other spinners because the wicket was turning. He asked me to be slower through the air so that I can get a lot of zip and turn from the wicket. I knew if I bowled flatter I would be hit for runs since it is a small ground,” Negi was quoted as saying by the official website of CLT20.
“I was trying my best to slow up things and get as much turn I could from the ball. My strategy was to bowl at the right areas according to the plan. The wicket was supportive to my kind of bowling and I was trying to hit the right lines and lengths,” he added.
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But Negi had to wait a long time for his opportunities. With two established spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, Negi hardly found a spot in the playing XI. However, he was brought in for the semi-final and final this tournament and made the difference. “I always had the desire to play more matches for the side. I got some games in the IPL and then got a break in the CLT20. I always wanted to make the most of the opportunities I get and contribute to the team’s success,” he said.
On bowling alongside experienced spinners like Ashwin and Jadeja, Negi said, “I always ask a lot of things to my other teammates and spinners about bowling and getting better. There are a bunch of guys who have truckloads of experience and I always ask them little things about my bowling.”
Complete coverage of Champions League T20 (CLT20) 2014 here
