Vidarbha batter Dhruv Shorey has carved out a reputation as one of the consistent performers in India’s domestic circuit, particularly in red-ball cricket. The right-handed batter has amassed 5,455 runs in 77 first-class matches at an average of 48.70, including 15 centuries and 24 half-centuries. He has also been a prolific performer in List A cricket, scoring 3,227 runs in 81 matches at an average of 44.81.
Despite his impressive domestic numbers, Shorey’s opportunities at the Indian Premier League (IPL) level have been limited. He was picked by the Chennai Super Kings in 2018 but featured in only two matches across two seasons, scoring 13 runs.
The experience, however, allowed Shorey to spend time around one of the most successful franchises in IPL history and share the dressing room with some of the biggest names in the game.
Speaking exclusively to CricTracker, Shorey opened up about his CSK stint, the limited chances he received, and his experience of witnessing the incredible support for MS Dhoni at Chepauk.
Excerpts from the interview
You were picked by CSK in 2018 but only played two matches across two seasons. What was that experience like, and do you feel you were given a fair opportunity to prove yourself in the IPL?
“The experience was surreal actually. The experience was very very good because it’s the biggest, it was like it is the biggest franchise, you know, there’s a lot of titles and at that point of time the team was very packed. We had a very very strong, you know, squad. Just to get in the 11 was a very very tough task but yeah, I got a couple of chances, you know, one each year but I didn’t make an impact or do really well but yes, I think, you know, if I would have got some other chances, you know, I would have got a little more, you know, just one or two more opportunities to prove myself, you know, it could have been a different story obviously. I’ll say that but yes, you know, just to get in the 11 was very difficult at that time because it was a very packed squad. I got an opportunity but I was hoping that I’ll get a couple more or, you know, maybe one or two or three more and I would have done well maybe.”
Before you were released, did MS Dhoni or anyone from the CSK team management personally reach out to you – a call, a message, anything?
“I got a message from the head coach and Hussey as well that, you know, what were the things they were thinking and, you know, what were their plans. So, regarding Mahi bhai, we didn’t have a word about that. But yes, I got a message from the head coach and Hussey as well.”
Your take on the Chepauk crowd going berserk whenever MS Dhoni comes out to bat.
“It’s unreal actually. It’s unreal, you know. Even the practice session felt like a match there. The amount of crowd that was there, even our practice matches were like, you know, we’re playing an IPL game and when he walks out, it was, you know, you can’t even listen to anything. You can’t even talk. It was just crazy, you know. He’s kind of worshipped there at the ground and what he’s done for Chepauk, what he’s done for the Super Kings, you know. I guess, it’s just brilliant. It’s just really, really nice to see. And the atmosphere was very electric. The atmosphere was something very, very different when he walks out.”
Have you received any advice from MS Dhoni that stays with you till now?
“There were actually a lot of advices. But yeah, one thing that he says and he, you know, swears by and he’s been doing is the process he talks about and not thinking about the result. It’s a very, very simple thing but a very, very difficult thing to apply when you’re playing. You know, he’s all about process and then he always says that, he used to say that, you know, you have to focus on the process and not the result. It’s a very simple, very basic thing but something that, you know, it’s very difficult to follow. And being in the moment as well, you know, and what he told like being in the moment and doing the right thing at the right time and not thinking too far ahead. You know, the game presence, you know, in which situation, how do you bat, how do you bowl, how do you field, how do you think? That’s what, you know, has been with me.”
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