4 Indian fast bowlers whose careers were shaped by MS Dhoni

Over the years, Chennai Super Kings has been known for its star-studded line-up. Right from the first season, CSK has gone for high-profile players from all over the world, especially in the batting department. However, on the bowling front, CSK has given chances to a lot of domestic Indian bowlers. MS Dhoni has got this knack of picking up good domestic Indian fast bowlers, grooming them and helping them become better bowlers. After having played under the able captaincy of Dhoni, some of these players even went on to represent the country at the international level. We will look at 4 such fast bowlers who blossomed under Dhoni.

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#4 Ishwar Pandey

Ishwar Pandey enjoyed a lot of success playing under MS Dhoni

Even though Ishwar Pandey was picked by Pune Warriors India for the 2013 season, he made his mark playing for Chennai Super Kings in 2014 and 2015. The tall fast bowler from Madhya Pradesh played 23 matches for CSK. Pandey might have taken only 17 wickets in these 23 matches but he played the role given by the team management to perfection.

He bowled tightly in the powerplays and gave away runs at an acceptable economy of 7.41 runs per over. Owing to strong performances in IPL, Pandey was picked up in the national squad for India's tour of New Zealand in 2014. Pandey currently plays for his domestic side, Madhya Pradesh, and is the leader of the bowling-attack.

#3 Manpreet Gony

Gony has played two ODIs for India

Manpreet Gony was a revelation in the inaugural edition of the IPL. The Punjab seamer took 17 wickets in the season and was one of the finds of the tournament. He was Dhoni's go-to bowler in the powerplays. Gony troubled the batsmen with his swing and pace. He also extracted extra bounce because of his height and was lethal with the new ball.

Gony's success resulted in his inclusion in the national side for the Tri-series in Bangladesh. Even though Gony wasn't able to replicate his IPL success at the international level and was dropped from the side after playing just two matches, his rise to limelight was due to the stint with CSK under MS Dhoni. After a few average seasons with Kings XI Punjab, Gony went unsold at this year's auction, but he is still going strong in the domestic circuit playing for his state side, Punjab.

#2 Deepak Chahar

Chahar has been brilliant bowling in the powerplays

The latest to join the list of domestic fast bowlers who have performed well for CSK is Deepak Chahar. After picking up 8 wickets for just 10 runs in his Ranji Trophy debut at the age of 18, Chahar suffered a series of injuries, which led to his downfall. But IPL changed Chahar's fortunes.

After having two mediocre seasons with Rising Pune Supergiant, Deepak Chahar was picked by CSK at the auction for INR 80 lakhs. Dhoni and CSK's team management showed a lot of faith in Chahar's abilities, including him in the Playing XI from their very first match. Chahar has bowled exceptionally well for the team, especially in the powerplays. He has bagged 6 wickets so far and has conceded runs at an economy of 7.60 runs per over. If Chahar continues to perform well, he isn't far away from an India cap.

#1 Mohit Sharma

Mohit Sharma was Dhoni's go-to bowler

Mohit Sharma is one of CSK's greatest finds when it comes to fast bowlers. The Haryana pacer was an unknown entity when he was bought by CSK in 2013. Dhoni gave a lot of confidence to the youngster and Mohit responded most of the times by picking up wickets. The right-arm seamer picked up 20 wickets in the 15 matches that he played in his debut season in 2013.

Apart from taking wickets, he also succeeded in stopping the batsmen from scoring easy runs, as he gave away runs at an economy of 6.43 runs per over. In 2014 and 2015, Sharma returned to the franchise as a strike bowler taking 23 and 14 wickets, respectively. He went on to represent the national side and was part of India's 2015 World Cup team. Mohit has played 26 ODIs and 8 T20s for India.

After CSK's ban in 2015, Sharma was picked by Kings XI Punjab. CSK tried their level best to get back Mohit at this year's auction, but KXIP used their RTM card to ensure that he remains with them.