India all-rounder Shivam Dube says he relishes finishing the crunch games -- an art he learnt by following his legendary Chennai Super Kings colleague Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Former India captain Dhoni is regarded as one of the best finishers in the history of white ball cricket.
Dube played a crucial 34-run cameo and also shared an unbeaten 66-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja (25 not out) to lead defending champions CSK to a six-wicket win over against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2024 opening match in Chennai on Friday.
"It was amazing. Finishing the game for Chennai is always something that amazes me. That's what I have learnt from Mahi bhai (Dhoni) and I try to do it every game," Dube told IPLT20.com
"It feels very good when you finish the game like this, especially during the first game of the season. So, it always feels special."
Chasing a target of 174, CSK were off to a confident start with debutant Rachin Ravindra (37) being the main aggressor. He was also the top scorer for the side.
The talented New Zealander praised his skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad for handling the tough chase well.
"It was nice to have a partnership with Rutu. Obviously, he's done this for a long period for Chennai," he told Dube in the IPL video.
"The calming presence that he had and also building the partnership with Jinx (Ajinkya Rahane) was pretty cool in front of the full house. The wicket was beautiful, so it made life a lot easier."
Ravindra was also amazed by the capacity Chepauk crowd cheering at the top of its voice for CSK.
"It was crazy; the crowd was incredible, one of the loudest I have ever experienced. It was unbelievable. Hopefully, we have more wins here to get the crowd going," he concluded.
CSK play their next game against last season's runner-up Gujarat Titans in Chennai on Tuesday.
