Dhoni, who arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday morning on the official invitation of the Indian Embassy in Nepal, talked shop with Nepali cricketers at the center wicket of the TU Ground barring the media and other officials. [break]
"He was down to earth and gave us tips on handling pressure during games," said Nepali U-19 captain Prithu Baskota.
"When I asked him for captainship tips, he suggested to me to build a team spirit and know teammates´ strengths and weaknesses and to keep things simple and pressure free," he added.
"Our coach used to tell us the same thing. But hearing the same from the World Cup winning captain has boosted our confidence," said Baskota.
Dhoni suggested to the Nepali players to grow "step by step".
"He suggested us not to dream about World Cup at once but to take things in stride gradually. He asked us to break down our targets and approach them one by one. For instance, he suggested to us to catch up with Afghanistan first," said Paresh Lohani, the opening batsman of Nepali national team.
Dhoni suggested to players to work hard and stressed the need for developing infrastructure.
“Asked about how he despite coming from a small town made it to the Indian national team, he said he played as many matches as possible and kept on working hard to get the current position,” said Binod Das, former skipper of the Nepali side. "He also said that the association has to develop infrastructure," said Das.
Das, said the meeting was fruitful as they got the opportunity to know about India´s World Cup victory from the horses´ mouth. “He said a captain must be able to use resources in a team and the pressure aotomatically goes down,” informed Das. “He also stressed on mental strength and continuous practice," Das added.
The Indian captain also gave some batting tips to Nepali cricketers. According to Das, Dhoni suggested to watch the ball and play late while batting on a slow track. Likewise, when U-19 captain Prithu Baskota asked him about Australian wickets regarding Nepali U-19 team´s World Cup campaign, Dhoni suggested to the Nepali team to practice on cemented pitch with plastic balls.
"Besides all the tips and suggestions, we were happy to find him friendly. And, he didn´t forget to suggest to us to maintain simplicity despite achievements," said Baskota.
Dhoni signing autographs.
Dhoni waving amid Nepali cricketers at TU cricket ground.
Dhoni taking group photo with Nepali cricketers.
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