D Gukesh became the youngest chess world champion recently.
Reigning chess world champion Gukesh Dommaraju has wholeheartedly praised India and CSK legend MS Dhoni and called him his idol and inspiration as well. Gukesh also claimed that he follows Dhoni's mantra for dealing with pressure, citing his favorite moment from the former India and Chennai Super Kings captain's legendary career.
“MS Dhoni is one sportsperson I really admire. To this day, he is the one. How he doesn’t react to anything that happens. How he is able to calmly think in any situation. In the highest-pressure moments, he is able to think with a clear mind. I grew up watching that. It felt like I had to emulate it in my own craft.
In that sense, he really inspired me. I don’t react to things much. I am good at handling pressure. In that way, he has really helped me in my career. Not only as an inspiration but in my game as well,” Gukesh said at an event at the iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
Gukesh has created a name for himself as someone who rarely gives up under duress, as well as for his never-say-die attitude, all of which were on display for the world to see during his 7.5-6.5 victory over Ding Liren at the FIDE World Championship in Singapore.
“When there is a high-pressure moment, I tend to think about how Dhoni handled so much pressure in a particular situation. Those things have really helped me calm down. Dhoni, I think, said in an interview: ‘Keep doing the simple things, keep the mind clear when the situation is very difficult.’ When facing tough situations in chess, I try to create that same calmness within myself. Having seen Dhoni so many times has impacted me,” Gukesh added.
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As for his favourite moment from Dhoni’s career, Gukesh picked the match-winning six over long on in the 2011 ICC World Cup final in Mumbai.