03 May,2011 07:04 AM IST | | Sai Mohan
South African all-rounder Albie Morkel credits his resurgence to Chennai skipper Dhoniu00a0
Eyebrows were raised when Albie Morkel was dropped from the South African squad for the recent World Cup. However, Chennai Super Kings, who consider the older of the Morkel brothers an integral part of the franchise, retained him and gave him a new lease of life this Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
Chennai Super Kings' Albie Morkel plays a lofted shot against Deccan
Chargers at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday. PIC/AFP
Morkel took a while to repay the faith, and was even dropped for Chennai's previous fixture against Pune Warriors last week. He proved his worth on Sunday evening with three lusty sixes, and three crucial wickets against the Deccan Chargers.
Not surprisingly, Morkel thanked MS Dhoni for his resurgence.
"MS, to me, from a personal point of view, is a very special leader to play under. I have a very good relation with him, having played alongside him for four IPL seasons," Morkel said after his side's 19-run win.
"For me, the key aspect is he (Dhoni) gives bowlers the freedom to do what they want ufffd before he intervenes.
If you want a specific field, he gives you that. I think it's important to back your bowlers," added Morkel.
Morkel, who is keen to emulate South African legend Lance Klusener, said the greatest quality of Dhoni is his lack of a game plan.
"Under pressure, you never see him panic. He always goes by instinct, which I think is a great quality. He always goes by gut feel, never has a game plan in place. That's worked for him, and is working for us," he said.
