"The influence he has on people is inspiring...": CSK's Rachin Ravindra on MS Dhoni

CSK will play their second game of the season against last year's finalist, the Gujarat Titans (GT), at their home arena, Chepauk Stadium. CSK had won their first game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by six wickets. Rachin, in his IPL debut for CSK, scored a quickfire 37 in 15 balls, with three fours and three sixes.

Speaking to CSK TV, as quoted by the official website of the franchise, Rachin said, "I think whenever Mahi Bhai is involved in some sort of play, you know, the crowd goes crazy. And, I was able to experience it for the first time, the fanfare and the craze of the super fans. And it was beautiful to see. I think the noise and the whistles and everything, especially whenever Dhoni does something, is pretty special. I think it's a testament to what he has achieved, not just as a Chennai Super King, but as an Indian player, but also off the field and the influence he has on people's lives. It is truly inspiring."

Dhoni handed over the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad at the start of the season. Dhoni's has an impressive legacy. With an ICC T20 World Cup, an ICC Cricket World Cup, and an ICC Champions Trophy, he is the only captain to have won all ICC titles. Alongside that, he has secured five IPL and two Champions League T20 titles for CSK and the Asia Cup for India in 2010 and 2016 as well.

Talking about pacer Mustafizur's four-wicket haul in the first game, which restricted RCB to 173/6 following a top-order implosion, Rachin said that the bowler's skiddy and heavy off-cutter deliveries are an asset for the team.

"Cricket is about applying pressure and absorbing pressure, and I think the best way of applying pressure is taking wickets, especially with the ball. Fizz (Mustafizur), bowled an unbelievable spell of four overs, and I think his wickets were very timely, very crucial. I think Fizz, with his skiddy nature and his heavy off-cutters, it is a great asset for the team," he said.

Talking about CSK's win against RCB and his catch to remove their captain, Faf Du Plessis, Rachin said that he was lucky the ball got stuck in his hands.

"It is always nice to get the first one. I think you are always a little bit nervous on the field, especially when great batters are batting, such as Faf. So you are kind of always on, and lucky it sort of stuck in the hands. But I guess it shows how global the IPL is. So, I mean, yeah, it just shows the reach that this tournament has," said the all-rounder.

Rachin said that CSK is proud of its home record and will continue to stick to its processes.

"As a team you always pride yourself on how you play at home and I think it has been like that for the Chennai Super Kings for a long period of time so hopefully you have a good idea of conditions and look, it was our day today but I think we've just got to continue to do our stuff, stick to our processes and keep driving the team forward and hopefully we will get a bunch of wins at the Chepauk," he concluded. (ANI)