IPL 2017 | Camaraderie of Steve Smith and MS Dhoni: RPS's winning X-factor against Mumbai Indians

At the end of the eighth over of the Mumbai Indians (MI) innings in the Qualifier 1 here on Tuesday, Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) captain Steve Smith threw the ball to Washington Sundar. The young lad had picked up three MI wickets in his as many overs, and Smith was eager for one more with Hardik Pandya and Parthiv Patel in the middle.

But just as Sundar handed his cap to the umpire, MS Dhoni walked up Smith, and the two had a brief chat. Post that little talk, the cap went back on Sundar’s head, and the ball went into Adam Zampa’s hands.

Dhoni advised the Aussie to keep one over of the off-spinner up his sleeve, probably because MI had three big-hitting left-handers to follow: Krunal Pandya, Karn Sharma and Mitchell McClenaghan.

Dhoni’s inputs might not have worked as Zampa went for nine of that over and Sundar couldn’t pick up another wicket, but it highlighted the camaraderie and trust between RPS’s current and former leader.

The ex-India captain was sacked as the boss of RPS after a seventh-place last season, the reins handed over to the Australia skipper. If RPS were a professional company, it would be called demotion and promotion, respectively.   

Neither of them took it as that, though. And it’s showed throughout the season. 

Before the start of IPL-10, Smith made it clear that the final decisions on the field would be his but he was always open for suggestions. Even if it came from the man he replaced.

Dhoni, meanwhile, was far from sulking at being sidelined. He never hounded Smith after every over, yet whenever he thought something was needed to be conveyed – like on Tuesday – Dhoni wouldn’t hesitate speaking his mind to his successor.      

That compatibility, openness and team spirit on the field between the Indian and Aussie – who aren’t supposed to be the best of friends, by the way – has been at the heart of the RPS turnaround this year, with the team making it to the final in just their second season.

“Mahi bhai has been supporting Smith really well,” RPS batsman Manoj Tiwary said after their win over MI on Tuesday night. 

“It is quite evident, that he (Dhoni) is maneuvering the field, he is placing the fielders in the right positions, whereas Smith is concentrating fully on changing the bowlers. He has too much on his plate. Mahi bhai guides players and makes sure that each and every player is standing in the right positions,” he added.

Another aspect where the Smith-Dhoni combo comes into play is the Indian players, both within RPS and in the opposition. Smith wouldn’t have the same amount of knowledge about the local Indians that Dhoni has, and that’s where an advice like holding back Sundar for the two dangerous Indian MI southpaws comes in handy.    

“Smith also needs some suggestions and advice, which is required at times playing in Indian conditions. He is someone who doesn’t completely know domestic Indian players, and in the other teams as well,” Tiwary said. 

Once the on-field mantra was cracked, Smith and head coach Stephen Fleming took care of handling the off-field challenges of dealing with a young IPL team rubbed with diversity. 

“Coming into RPS, I observed that the coach and captain don’t speak too much. They talk pretty less, only specific things are discussed in the (team) meetings. We don’t have too many meetings where it takes too much time. It’s short and sharp,” Tiwary said.

“Fleming has done a great job in maintaining the atmosphere. Each and every player is in a happy state of mind, and when you’re happy, you do well,” he added.

RPS are indeed doing well. And so is the Smith-Dhoni duet.

Momentum shifted in last 2 overs

RPS batsman Manoj Tiwary, who top-scored with a crucial 58 in the Qualifier 1 against MI, said the momentum of the match shifted in the last two overs of their innings, in which him and MS Dhoni added 41 runs to take their team’s total to a par 162-4 

“The momentum shifted during the last two overs,” Tiwary said on Tuesday night. “When I was batting with Ajinkya (Rahane), the coach and captain and both of us decided at the strategic timeout that we can take the total to 160. We felt that the wicket was pretty dry. 

“We were struggling to get there, until the last two overs where MS bhai played outstanding shots. It was not easy against (Jasprit) Bumrah, but he showed why he is such a talented player with so much ability to hit the best bowlers of IPL for more than 2-3 sixes in that crucial situation,” he added.