Arguably the most successful captain in the Indian Premier League (IPL), MS Dhoni has not played a single game for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) this season as he continues to recover from a calf injury. Dhoni and CSK have been synonymous, given the former skipper’s association with the franchise right from the start. In a way, it is believed that Dhoni is the one who runs CSK.
However, Dhoni has come out and said that while he gives new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad advice, he is fine if his successor does not listen to a single one.
What MSD told Rutu
“What I told Rutu was to run CSK the way he wanted to run it. That’s how I have run CSK for a very long time. And I always felt it’s a game where the captain has to make the decisions. Yes, there are coaches and support staff, but it’s not like football, where the manager decides. In cricket, it’s about the captain, and he has to decide,” Dhoni said at an event organised by Etihad.
“I’m very open, I’ll come and talk to you, but you don’t have to do even one thing that I speak to you about. Let’s say I come up with ten pieces of advice; if you don’t follow even one, that is fair enough. When you are the leader, you have to take that responsibility. As a leader, you see the resources that you have and how you want to use it.”
MSD on his relationship with CSK fans
Dhoni is seen as a god-like figure in Chennai, given the success he has tasted with the franchise over the years. According to him, he has made no extra effort to receive such love and adulation from the people.
“I never wanted to woo fans or have more followers. I just wanted to be authentic, once you are authentic, people start loving you and they start picking up stuff that they love about you,” the five-time IPL winner said.
“The support of the fans matters, when the chips are down, you can get that extra 10-15% from the crowd,” he added.
Dhoni could be in contention for a place in the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on May 18 (Monday), as he was seen practising at the nets the day before. CSK need to beat SRH and Gujarat Titans (GT) to be in contention for a place in the playoffs.
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