Delhi Capitals (DC) pacer Avesh Khan had to wait for almost three years to get the prized scalp of MS Dhoni. A simple catch was put down by Colin Munro off Khan’s bowling back in IPL 2018, but the 24-year-old speedster dismissed Dhoni when his side locked horns with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the second match of IPL 2021 on April 10.
After becoming the first Indian pacer to send Dhoni back to the pavilion for a duck in IPL history, Khan mentioned that CSK skipper had not played competitive cricket for a long time. Hence, DC planned to put him under pressure from the very first ball, and that strategy worked at Wankhede.
“Since he (MS Dhoni) has not played competitive matches for some time, we had planned to put pressure on him and because of that pressure I could take his wicket,” Khan told the DC media team.
Earlier, only Shane Watson, Dirk Nannes and Harbhajan Singh had successfully dismissed Dhoni for a duck in the IPL.
“Three years ago, I had a chance to take Mahi bhai’s wicket, but somebody had dropped the catch. But now my dream of taking Mahi bhai’s wicket is fulfilled, so I am very happy about it. Since he has not played competitive matches for some time, we had planned to put pressure on him and because of that pressure I could take his wicket,” Khan added.
Avesh, who is one of the leading wicket-takers for Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket, also revealed that he had worked a lot on his fitness before IPL 2021.
“I have reduced my weight by five kgs,” he said. “I have hired a personal dietician and I plan my diet according to the dietician’s directions. My diet plan changes on a day-to-day basis, depending on my gym and training sessions and rest days. Improving my fitness has helped me a lot. I am feeling light, and I feel great when I run. I had to sacrifice some of my favourite dishes for 20-25 days, but that has helped me to stay on track for achieving some of my personal goals.”
