Gujarat Titans (GT) all-rounder Rahul Tewatia shared his thoughts on who he finds the more inspiring finisher between MS Dhoni and AB de Villiers following the 2025 IPL season (via Crictracker). Having played the finisher’s role himself for GT and Rajasthan Royals (RR) in recent seasons, Tewatia admitted that he looks up to the former Indian captain as a major influence.
Dhoni and De Villiers are widely regarded as two of the best finishers in IPL history due to their knack for producing match-winning performances in the final overs. De Villiers has remarkable stats from overs 16 to 20 in the IPL, averaging 44.50 with a strike rate of 222.90. In comparison, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) legend Dhoni averages 34 with a strike rate of 175 during the same overs across his IPL career.
Discussing his inspirations as a finisher, Tewatia said (via Crictracker):
“When I was young, I used to play leg-spin and bat together. I used to watch Yuvi paaji [Yuvraj Singh]. He looked like a stylish batsman. When Mahi bhai [MS Dhoni] came, I started watching him a lot. I started understanding the game when I got a chance to talk to him. I used to watch Yuvraj Singh and Mahi bhai a lot.”
“Focus on the Present”- Rahul Tewatia Shares MS Dhoni’s Advice
Rahul Tewatia credited MS Dhoni’s guidance to focus on the present as the most valuable advice of his career. The former CSK captain, who retired from international cricket in 2020, continues to play in the IPL at 44. Dhoni ranks sixth on the all-time IPL run-scorers list, amassing 5,439 runs in 278 matches, including 24 half-centuries.
“Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) told me about how to finish matches and how to stay in the present. He told me not to think about the past and not to think about the future. That has helped me a lot,” said Tewatia (via Crictracker).
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