Imran Tahir who took 4/27 to help Chennai Super Kings (CSK) put Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in a spot here, has credited skipper MS Dhoni for his success saying there are things he doesn't observe but the captain does.
Tahir played a pivotal role in restricting KKR to 161/8 by removing the dangerous Chris Lynn (82; 51 balls; 7x4 6x6) and destructive Andre Russell (10) in the space of four deliveries in the 15th over.
Chasing a modest target, CSK won by five wickets.
Tahir also accounted for wickets of Nitish Rana and Robin Uthappa in the 11th over as CSK consolidated their place at the top of the table.
"There are few things that I don't think personally, and he comes and tells me, like what I need to do. Where I need to bowl and in which area the batsman is looking to hit. I have been working with him and with CSK and it's an absolute honour," Tahir, 40, said at the post-match media conference.
"I bowl according to the captain. It's always beneficial taking advice of Dhoni. He is a legend and has been helping me a lot this season. Credit goes to him."
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Probed further about Dhoni's advice to get wickets and bowl in the right areas, Tahir said, "He comes and tells me to bowl where, to which batsman. Today, when Russell came to bat, he allowed me to bowl, go for the kill and bowl a bit slow on a pitch, which was so good for batsmen. I went for runs. But as long as we got the result, its fine."
Russell smacked Tahir for a four and a six before substitute Dhruv Shorey took a brilliant catch at long on to send him to the hut. "I could have bowled two more dot balls to him, but I wanted to be in the challenge and get him out," Tahir said.
"I got his wicket, which was very important for the team, much more than the personal achievement. He is such a good player, specially in death overs," he said.
Tahir who has taken 13 wickets in the IPL plans to quit the 50-over format after the World Cup later this year. "I would like to give opportunities to youngsters. I don't want to retire. I love the game and have a lot of passion for the game. CSK has been really good to me and they gave me the opportunity to showcase my skills," the leggie said.
On his wild celebrations, Tahir said he was passionate about the game and that was a reflection of that. "It is pure passion. I really don't know what I do, I just want to express that, playing for CSK one of the best team in the world, best franchise. I just want to show how much passion and respect I have for the team."
--IANS
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