IPL 2021: Chahal recalls how fans used to chant 'Mahi' on Rishabh Pant's on-field mistakes

The IPL 2021 Qualifier 1 will go underway on October 10 with MS Dhoni-led squad Chennai Super Kings taking on Rishabh Pant & Co at Dubai International Stadium. The Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant on multiple occasions has called MS Dhoni his idol. In fact, Rishabh Pant received the ODI debut cap of Team India from none other than his 'idol' MS Dhoni. During his early days, Pant's aggressive style of batting was often compared to MS Dhoni. However, there was a time when Rishabh Pant was going through a lean patch and the Southpaw used to get criticised by the fans on social media and even in the stadium for not being able to fill the shoes of MS Dhoni. 

Now, Team India's leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in a conversation with SGTV shared how Rishabh Pant was subject to criticism, and fans used to chant MS Dhoni's name whenever he used to get any DRS wrong. 

'Everyone wanted Rishabh Pant to be like MS Dhoni', says Yuzvendra Chahal

Speaking on the comparison between Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni, Yuzvendra Chahal said, "Actually, everyone wanted him (Pant) to be like Mahi bhai. The way MSD was behind the stumps. I remember if Pant would ever drop any catch or the DRS went wrong, then the whole ground would start shouting Mahi Mahi."

“So, there was a lot of pressure on Pant, because he was only around 19 or 20 years old at that time. We would tell him to ignore all these things and focus on his game. He was under tremendous pressure then he was also out of the team for a while," added Chahal.

Furthermore, Chahal appreciated Rishabh Pant for overcoming the pressure and criticism and making a strong comeback. “He made a superb comeback. He has improved a lot; he has shown a lot of maturity. His performance has been really good and I guess people should understand that when a sportsperson is on the ground, he tries his best, and nobody wants to perform badly. People should give a little respect to the player,” added Chahal.

DC vs CSK Qualifier 1

Coming back to the DC vs CSK encounter, both teams head into this match having suffered defeats in their previous match. DC finished the IPL 2021 league stage, with a total of 10 wins from 14 matches, whereas the first team to qualify for the IPL 2021 playoffs, CSK won nine matches out of the 14. In terms of head-to-head records, Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals have locked horns 25 times in which the MS Dhoni-led squad has won 15 and Capitals have won 10 times. 

(Image: iplt20.com/PTI)