MS Dhoni is one of the calmest personalities one would ever encounter on a cricket field. But even he gets annoyed when something wrong happens and we all got to see that during the CSK v RR match in IPL 2019.
Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were involved in a tense final over finish wherein they needed 18 runs off the final over in Jaipur. Ben Stokes was bowling the last over and had gotten the ever-dependable MS Dhoni out.
With 8 needed off 3, Ben Stokes bowled a full-toss after which the on-field umpire appeared to raise his hand to signal a no-ball but did not call it in the end. This got Dhoni all riled up and he walked onto the field and had a heated argument with both the umpires in middle of the over.
New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner, however, finished the match with a six, after the melee had calmed down.
“His unbiased opinions made MS Dhoni what he is today,” says RP Singh
"I was probably as surprised as everyone. He (Dhoni) is so calm. But I think that shows you how committed he is to the team and how much of a family it is to him and how much it means to him to do something like that. It wasn't anger, it was just one of the umpires just stuck his hand out and you can't be going back," Santner said.
"I guess, to end up winning it was a good thing. If we had lost it, there would have been more anger flowing around. It kind of shows you how it brought everyone together. We went on to win a few after that. Those kinds of games... if you get on the right side of the result... it can help you gain momentum moving forward. It wasn't a perfect game but different people stepped up at different times,” Santner added.
“I was out there. I obviously saw him out there. He was right next to the umpire. Obviously he knew he was not allowed to do that. He apologized for straightaway. It might have flustered Stokes and gave me a good ball to hit. I am happy,” Santner revealed.
Santner also called Shane Watson, his CSK teammate a nice bloke after spending time with him in the franchise. "I used to watch Shane Watson a lot and when I got to meet him, he was a little bit different from what I expected. He was a lovely guy. His family was there," Santner said.
Santner also said he got to know more about Dhoni, thanks to his stint with CSK in the IPL.
"When you play with guys who've played against, they look different. You get to understand them more. l always wanted to play with guys like Dhoni. Playing for New Zealand, I have played India a lot, home and away. Just the way he kind of goes about his business is calm and relaxed,” Santner signed off.
(India Today inputs)
