Xtra Time Web Desk : Maharashtra batter Rahul Tripathi on Wednesday opened up on his experiences and realisation of playing for different franchises in the Indian Premier League, and sharing the dressing room with stalwarts like MS Dhoni.
“Hitting the six in that situation was something special for me. I didn’t rush and I was confident and dealt with those butterflies in the stomach and the adrenaline rush. Keeping calm in such situations is an art I learnt from Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni),” said Tripathi talking about the match winning innings which he played for Kolkata Knight Riders during the qualifier 2.
“I want to be a good finisher for my team just like Mahi bhai. Playing under Mahi bhai was a dream come true for me. I was privileged that I was picked for RPS and got to play under Mahi bhai in my maiden IPL season. Sharing the dressing room, learning from his experience, taking tips from him, chatting with him and observing him was a big big thing for me. He guided me all the way. Even now, whichever team I am playing for, I just go and talk to him and he is very happy to help me. His presence in the team is enough and special for every player,” said the 31 year old about MS Dhoni, whom he considers to be his idol.
Opening up about his former franchise KKR, the Maharashtra batter added, “The last two years with KKR were amazing. I was very happy and had my best time there. I really enjoyed playing at KKR because of the people around. The time I had there was amazing. Of course, taking KKR to the final with that six, I will always cherish,”
Tripathi who was sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the recently concluded IPL Mega Auction for a humongous amount of INR 8.50 crore, also opened up about how excited he is to play for his new franchise.
“It’s a new beginning. I am very excited to don the orange jersey. IPL has been a great platform for me and for every cricketer. I got the chance to rub shoulders with star players around the world. I have got many opportunities and exposure to showcase my talent and this platform has helped me to take my game to another level,” said the batter who has a total of 47 first class matches to his name.