Chennai Super Kings (CSK) spinner Imran Tahir loves how welcoming captain MS Dhoni is for the players and staff members. The Proteas cricketer was impressed by Dhoni in their first meeting after joining the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rising Pune Supergiant.
Tahir had not met Dhoni before joining the Pune franchise in IPL 2016 and to break the ice, the then RPS captain invited him to his room. The South Africa spinner and his other CSK mates love spending time at Dhoni's room.
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"I had been watching him on TV. But I never met in person. I first met him when I got picked for Pune and actually, I was quite nervous, I didn't know how to react," Tahir told Anis Sajan, mentor of Delhi Bulls franchise in the Abu Dhabi T10 League, in a Facebook live session, 'Cricket Unplugged with Anis Sajan.'
"But I was amazed, I was outside my room door and he came to me from his room and said: 'Imran bhai, welcome. This is my room and you are more than welcome anytime.'
"This is probably the best thing to hear from a legend like Dhoni. Like I said, it was very kind of him. He is such a down to earth guy. I thought 'If you are offering me that, I am definitely coming to your room'. That was very kind of him. Like I said, that was the first time I met him personally.
"We used to go to his room, we still go because he gets mangoes coming in from all over the world. We love to eat that. All of us. Anything comes to his room, he offers to everybody. It's been a special journey with him. I really hope I get another year, or 2, or 3 years to play with him and make my journey more special."
Tahir, the purple cap holder in IPL 2019 with 26 wickets, believes CSK has the best captain which makes them such a successful IPL franchise.
"They are a very professional team, right from the owners to team management. We never feel like there is a pressure from anyone. It's a family club. And we have the best captain in the world," Tahir said.
"I feel so comfortable, me and my family, because every time we go there, they treat us just as their family, and this is something you won't see anywhere.
"CSK is the best franchise I've played for. What makes CSK special is we respect each other, we play really hard and we enjoy our victories. So, it has been an amazing experience playing for CSK. The CSK family is very close to my heart."
