Ace Chennai Super Kings, India, and Maharashtra opener Ruturaj Gaikwad credited CSK skipper MS Dhoni for teaching him how to stay neutral and calm even when winning. Dhoni is well known for not showing emotions no matter what situation the match is in.
Be it a thrilling victory or a deflating defeat, Dhoni would remain calm and it was a rare sight seeing him lose his calm during a match. This thing didn’t just help Dhoni remain cool in all situations, but also rubbed off onto his teammates as well.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, in conversation with Aakash Chopra, revealed how Dhoni used to break the tension after CSK lost, which put the players at ease. His calmness meant that the CSK players were devoid of any burden going into the next match.
“All the (CSK) players gelled really well. Everyone used to be a little quiet for 10-15 mins after losing a game. But Mahi bhai…after coming back from the presentation, would tell us, ‘Relax boys, it happens’.
You tend to relax a little bit after hearing that. MS Dhoni taught me how to stay neutral when things aren’t going your way. And even when you are on the winning side, it is important to stay neutral,” Ruturaj said.
MS Dhoni has captained CSK in all IPL editions thus far, barring the two years when the franchise was suspended. He has led the yellow brigade to four IPL titles in 2010,2011, 2018, and 2021.
Gaikwad says Dhoni would try to maintain a similar atmosphere even during testing times like in IPL 2022 when the franchise made a horror start to the season under new captain Ravindra Jadeja who stepped down midway through the campaign.
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“Win or lose, MS Dhoni made sure that the team atmosphere remained the same. Yes, there was surely a lot of disappointment, but no negativity. There was no blame game. A lot of times when you keep on losing, different groups are formed within the team. But that didn’t happen in CSK.
MS Dhoni’s meetings are usually very short. Even after losing, the longest meeting would be around two or three minutes. He would tell us that there is a dinner plan, so make sure everyone is ready for it. He would make us understand that it isn’t possible for CSK to win each and every time," he added.
MS Dhoni will be seen leading the CSK franchise in IPL 2023 when the side returns to their home of Chennai.
(News18 inputs)
