IPL 2024: 'Mahi Bhai told me...', PBKS star Shashank Singh reveals key MS Dhoni advice after match-winning Knock vs GT

Shashank Singh emerged as the match-winner for Punjab Kings as the batter was the key performer in their victory over Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2024 on Thursday (April 24).

Shashank came into the crease at a difficult time for the Punjab Kings and scored an unbeaten 61 runs off just 29 balls. He hit 6 fours and 4 sixes to provide his team a famous victory as the Kings chased down 200 runs in Ahmedabad.

After his excellent knock, Shashank thanked Punjab Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan for his backing and said the Kings captain was instrumental in his emergence in the team. He also said the team kept the belief in him and the player had trust in himself that he belonged to the level.

MS Dhoni influenced Shashank Singh's Knock vs GT

It was a mature innings from Shashank, who stood tall till the end and took his team home in the last over. When asked if MS Dhoni had any influence in his approach to the game, the batter acknowledged the role of the India legend.

"Whenever I have talked with Mahi Bhai (MS Dhoni), he always told me to take the game as deep as possible. He said when you take the game deep, the pressure on the bowler is as much as on the batter. It's about who keeps the nerve calm. It is all about the mental thing to be as calm as possible.. I was doing deep breathing to keep myself calm and react to the ball. Sometimes you be over-smart and play rash shots, but I was just looking to react to the ball" Shashank said during a media interaction on Friday (April 5).

It was an outstanding partnership between Shashank and another youngster Ashutosh Sharma, which paved the victory for Punjab. The two players, hailing from Chhatisgarh and Madhya Pradesh - two adjacent states of Central India, helped in Punjab's victory and the former said the duo had confidence in each other.

"I was talking with Ashutosh Sharma and he was talking with me in the middle. I was telling him if we were till the end, we would win the match. We were complementing each other very well and we had the belief in each other. We also have practised with the same scenarios of scoring 50-60 runs in four or five overs, which came into play as well. We have done it before in the practice games, and we believed each other," Shashank added.