Rayudu revealed that Dhoni doesn’t hesitate to scold his players if needed.
Former Indian skipper MS Dhoni is known for his calm demeanour on the field, irrespective of the situation. It is something that has earned him the nickname 'Captain Cool'.
However, ex-India batter Ambati Rayudu recently revealed that Dhoni has different moods and doesn’t hesitate to scold his players if needed.
Rayudu narrated once such incident when Dhoni, after being irked by his temper during the IPL 2019 season, gave him an ultimatum. The CSK icon’s message was clear -- focus on your batting and control your anger.
“Sometimes, Mahi bhai would tell me — just like a tin roof heats up quickly, I also tend to lose my cool quickly,” Rayudu said on JioHotstar show ‘Cheeky Singles.’
He further stated that Dhoni would get angry and advise him to keep his hands down if he would complain about a non-wide call.
“We would point out to the umpire that a delivery was wide or a no-ball, and he would always tell me, ‘Just focus on batting, don’t raise your hand. I don’t want to lose Fair Play points because of you’," Rayudu added.
Rayudu, however, was quick to poke fun at the legendary captain, saying that it was the same year when CSK were docked points because of Dhoni's entry into the ground for the protest of a no-ball.
"Interestingly, that same year, he himself walked onto the field — not because of me, but because we were losing.”
The episode unfolded during a CSK vs RR group stage match in Jaipur in IPL 2019. With just 8 runs needed from last three deliveries, Ben Stokes bowled a delivery that was first declared a no-ball. The umpire then reversed the call, triggering Dhoni to step on the field and challenge the decision.
Dhoni was fined 50% of his match fees because of the incident. CSK, the runners-up of the 2019 season, finished sixth in the Fair Play table.