England wicket-keeper batsman Sam Billings was blown away by seeing how much people worship the former India captain, MS Dhoni, in his homeland. He has played alongside Dhoni for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 and 2019.

Billings said it was mind-boggling to witness the craze of the CSK captain and his huge fan following during the IPL. He played 10 matches for CSK in IPL 2018 and one game in 2019.

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Speaking on the Headstrong podcast, he said, “I had the huge honour of playing with MS Dhoni as my captain at Chennai and seeing his life and seeing how he has to live day by day in terms of being cooped up in a hotel and you literally cannot leave unless it’s to go to training or a match, it's amazing. It's just mind-boggling how people absolutely worship him."

Billings loves the experience of playing cricket in India and he said the enthusiasm of the people is what makes playing here so special.

“For me, I think everything that goes with it, is playing cricket in India. It’s something that people can’t just get their head around if you haven't experienced it either as a fan or a player... An English person in London might say he doesn't really follow cricket or doesn't really like cricket, or that nobody kind of likes it, but 1.3 billion Indians absolutely adore and worship cricket," he said.

The 29-year-old is currently part of the Delhi Capitals (DC) franchise for the Indian Premier League 2021.