Ahead Of Reunion With Chennai Super Kings, R Ashwin Recalls MS Dhoni's Mastermind Tactic In IPL 2010

Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin expressed his gratitude to former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni for bringing him back to the five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winning franchise again and talked about how well the Captain Cool utilised him with new ball during his early days in the cash-rich league. Ashwin was speaking at the launch event of a book titled Leo -- The Untold Story of Chennai Super Kings, written by senior advocate and former Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) vice-president PS Raman.

The book launch on Sunday, was attended by CSK star MS Dhoni and two vital parts of the coaching set-up, its ex-stars Stephen Fleming and Mike Hussey.

Ashwin was also felicitated at the event by Kris Srikkanth, the ex-Indian batter.

Speaking at the event, Ashwin recalled that after playing two games in IPL 2009 in South Africa, Dhoni, then CSK skipper, told him on Facebook that he will be utilised well in the coming season.

"I went in and bizarre, Dhoni got injured and I lost my form for 2-3 games too. When we both made our comebacks, I got my first initiation of bowling with the new ball against Mumbai Indians (MI) in front of Sachin Tendulkar. Dhoni gave me the new ball, shrugged his shoulders and left. He does not give you many words, but he asked me if I could get Kieron Pollard out (while defending 166 for CSK). As luck would have it, Pollard skied one in the air on one of my deliveries and Thilan Thushara, Murali Vijay were involved in one of the most bizarre catches ever," recalled Ashwin.

Ashwin acknowledged the role of luck in his cricketing career and people's lives. He also revealed that he wanted Dhoni to present him a memento during his 100th Test against England at Dharamsala last