I am a big admirer of Dhoni, says Darren Sammy after Eliminator win

The Rajshahi Kings were down and out at 50-odd for 6 in the crucial eliminator of the ongoing BPL 4. It was Darren Sammy, the skipper, who then led the fight back and won the game for his side. A defeat would have meant an exit from the tournament. Sammy was very well aware of it but did not let it slip to his head.

He continued to bat in a positive manner. An unbeaten 55 off just 27 balls by Darren Sammy saw Rajshahi Kings win the match from the jaws of defeat. This was not the first time that Sammy tasted success at the Mirpur stadium. Back in 2014 World T20, he had blasted a quick 13-ball 34 against Australia at the venue. Sammy always recalls the knock when he visits the venue.

“Every time I play at the stadium, that’s the first game I remember. Even when we played against Khulna the other day, it flashed back in my mind. I am enjoying my cricket right now. Wherever I go I try to give my best,” the former West Indies skipper quoted.

There is nothing to be surprised if Darren Sammy eventually leads Rajshahi to a title win. He has the experience of leading teams to massive title wins. It was under his leadership that West Indies won the T20 World Cup earlier this year. However, a very humble Sammy reveres the Indian limited overs skipper MS Dhoni.

When Rajshahi were struggling in their run chase, it was a small pep talk from James Franklin that kept him going. Describing his love for Dhoni and the talk from Franklin, Sammy quoted, “I am a big admirer of Dhoni. If you bat out and take the game as close as possible, you give yourself a better chance of winning. But today after Franklin got out, he told me to free up myself and enjoy. ‘Go for it’, he said. It probably changed my mindset to a positive one and I just took the attack back to them.”

During the match, Sammy and co were seen giving poses for different photos. Revealing their intentions behind those moments, the West Indies all-rounder said that it helps the team to gel well.

“We just like to take photos. You check all the guys’ Instagram pages, they are always posting photos, so why not bring it into the cricket? When you play well it brings out the celebration. You continue to play as a team. You gel well. When you gel well like that you create an environment that will breed success. We had that team spirit. We did well to restrict them and considering we were under the pump, just imagine how it feels like when you take the final selfies,” Darren Sammy conceded.