'Nothing, It's Just Him,' Wayne Parnell Reacts to MS Dhoni's Fandom at Chinnaswamy
Dhoni with RCB captain before toss (Twitter/RCBTweets)
Royal Challengers Bangalore left-arm seamer Wayne Parnell is loving his time in the Indian Premier League. The southpaw made his return to the lucrative T20 league after nearly a decade in the ongoing season and has made his presence felt thus far.
Parnell will have a battle on his hands when he marks his run-up against the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings in front of a packed Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Monday evening.
While it is a home game for RCB, it is fair to say that Dhoni will not be short of support from the fans, and Parnell got a first-hand experience of the same, when his pre-match interview with the host broadcaster got intervened with massive roars from the fans as Dhoni walked out to the field.
And, Parnell was quick to acknowledge it.
"Just MS Dhoni walked out to the ground hence you are listening to so much noise from the crowd. Yeah, giving your best is the only thing that you can do to the team," he said.
Playing in front of a packed crowd can prove to be a double-edged sword. While the support can egg on the home side, the pressure of expectation from loyal fans can also backfire in crucial moments.
RCB have already been at the receiving end this season when they lost a high-scoring thriller to the Lucknow Super Giants.
Parnell acknowledged the same, stating that he and his teammates will try to 'block out the noise', which he admitted, its easier said than done.
"Obviously will try to block out the noise which I know is very difficult here at Chinnaswamy. Packed crowd as always here at this magnificent stadium. Always sold out and it's an excellent place to play cricket. The noise and waves going around are amazing. Will look to give my best."
Meanwhile, RCB skipper Faf du Plessis won the toss and opted to bowl first. At the time of writing, CSK had moved on to 16/0 after 2 overs, with Devon Conway taking the attack to Parnell.
 "Yash Mittal")
