Ajay Mandal credits Dhoni and Kaif advice for career growth

Chhattisgarh left-arm spinner Ajay Mandal credits MS Dhoni and Mohammad Kaif for the way his game has come together.

Dhoni told him to switch to a bottom-hand grip, and that single change lifted his white-ball batting. Kaif, during his two seasons with Chhattisgarh, pushed him to take bowling seriously when he still saw himself mainly as a batter.

Mandal now leads Chhattisgarh in First-Class wickets with 137. He has 52 more in 52 T20s and 42 in 37 List A matches. He has been named in CSK and Delhi Capitals squads without yet making his IPL debut.