Ajinkya Rahane, a former Indian cricket player, noted that MS Dhoni was a straightforward individual who kept his room open for teammates to meet up and spend time together while still upholding clear limits when the door was closed.

Rahane, who made his debut in all three formats—T20Is, ODIs, and Tests—under MS Dhoni's leadership, announced his retirement from international cricket last week. Rahane also played with Dhoni for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise in the IPL.

"He's (MS Dhoni) very calm and cool and just a very normal human being like everyone. His room was almost always open for anyone to do anything. So many times, 10 to 15 of us, or even the whole team, were in his room. But when his door was shut, no one was allowed," said Rahane on the Stick to Cricket podcast.

Rahane also disclosed that, in order to stay focused during a series, he disconnects from social media. Ben Stokes gave him this advice in 2017 while they were playing together in the IPL.

He emphasized that he stays mentally rejuvenated by following a personal routine that includes reading, watching television, spending time with family, and getting ready for the next day.

"I delete all the social media apps when the series is on. But no one advises us to, and that's just my own advice to myself. I remember Ben Stokes advising me not to see social media in 2017 when we played together in the IPL. Creating a routine helped me individually deal with this once I am in my room. Just things like watching something on Netflix or some other app, reading a book, chatting to family, and ironing my clothes for the next day," he added.

Rahane played 85 Tests, amassing 5,077 runs, including 12 centuries and 26 fifties, for an average of 38.46 and a strike rate of 49.50.

He played 90 ODIs, amassing 2,962 runs, including three centuries and 24 fifties, at an average of 35.26. In T20Is, he played 20 matches, scoring 375 runs with one fifty, at an average of 20.83 and a strike rate of 113.29.

(ANI inputs)