Among his several qualities that made him a legend, former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s ability to maintain an ice-cool demeanour in the most trying of circumstances was something that stood out throughout his career. Be it a thrilling victory or a deflating defeat, Dhoni would remain calm and it was a rare sight seeing him losing his calm during a match.
However, Dhoni didn’t just limit this zen-like mode to himself. He would also try and calm down his players when things weren’t going their way, rising batting star Ruturaj Gaikwad has revealed.
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During a conversation with former India cricketer Aakash Chopra, Gaikwad recalled how Dhoni would address his Chennai Super Kings teammates after a defeat.
“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’,” Gaikwad, who plays for Dhoni-led CSK in IPL said.
He added, “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.”
Dhoni has been a constant presence in CSK (barring two seasons when the franchise was suspended), having led them to four IPL titles so far.
Gaikwad says Dhoni would try to maintain 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.
“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,” Gaikwad said.
Gaikwad also recalled how Dhoni would keep his team meetings short and the discussion would be around the fact that it’s not possible to win every match.
“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 said.
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