Legendary wicketkeeper batter Mahendra Singh Dhoni has taken several young players under his wings over the years at Chennai Super Kings and mentored them. Dhoni shared a good bond with his young teammates and helped them level up their game with his valuable insights. Dhoni stepped down as CSK captain last season, but he continued to remain a demi-god figure.

CSK pacer Tushar Deshpande, who made his India debut recently on the Zimbabwe tour, recalled a chat with Dhoni, who predicted that he would succeed at the international level during preparatory camp ahead of the 2023 season.

"[Dhoni told me]: 'You have everything to succeed at international level. But you have to be calm during your run-up. Don't get distracted by the crowd. Just take a deep breath, stay calm and bowl.' If Mahi tells you that you have everything to be successful at international level, boss, that itself is an achievement," Deshpande told ESPNCricinfo.

Deshpande joined CSK in 2022, but he didn't get many opportunities during his first season at Chepauk. After consistent performances in domestic cricket, he bounced back and became an integral part of the CSK's bowling line-up in the last couple of seasons. The right-arm paceman claimed 21 and 17 wickets, respectively, in the last two seasons. He was expensive on few occasions but had the knack of taking crucial wickets and kept knocking on the doors of the Indian team.

He started the 2023 season poorly with an underwhelming outing against Gujarat Titans (1/51 in 3.2 overs). However, he was backed by then-skipper Dhoni, who told him to repeat the same bowling in the next match.

"Mahi came to me and said: 'You haven't made any mistakes. You bowled all good balls. It was not your day today. In the next match repeat the same," he added.

Don't play cricket in the mind - Dhoni's golden advice

Dhoni took Deshpande under his wings and spent time with him in the nets. The CSK pacer recalled a training session where he was up against the legendary wicketkeeper batter in a match simulation.

The former CSK skipper smashed him for a six and then got pulled by him for not bowling yorker.

"I was bowling good yorkers, but suddenly I bowled a bouncer and got hit for a 100-metre six. He asked me: 'Kyun daala bouncer?' [Why did you bowl the bouncer?] I told him I thought he was expecting the yorker. He told me: Don't play cricket in the mind. Yorker is a yorker and no one can hit you," he added.

Dhoni had quite simple advice for the young paceman and told him to stay in present while bowling.

"He was telling me we keep trying to play ahead of the game instead of staying in the present. The other thing he told me is to focus on my fitness, which is important for fast bowlers," Deshpande said.

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