CHENNAI: There is immense anticipation surrounding whether MS Dhoni will take the field for one last time at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Monday. The legendary cricketer arrived late for practice on Sunday, quickly padded up, performed some warm-up exercises, and headed straight to the nets, where he unleashed those massive sixes that fans have cherished over the years.
There was no clarity from the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) management regarding his participation in the match, although it was indicated that he would participate in the customary fan events that he conducts every year at the end of CSK's home campaign.
Even though Dhoni has been absent from the playing XI for much of the season due to a calf injury, his experience has been invaluable for the team. During an event prior to the practice session on Sunday, Dhoni spoke about the advice he gave to captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.
“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.
The former skipper emphasized that while Gaikwad could learn certain things from him, he must essentially be his own leader. “Yes, there will be certain things that he will pick from the way I used to lead. But individuals are different… Whatever you feel is your style, you have the full liberty over here to decide,” Dhoni added.
The 44-year-old explained how he assured his protege that he would always be open to offering advice. “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 them,” Dhoni said.
Dhoni, who guided CSK to five IPL titles, insisted that the team’s success was built on a “cricket first” approach. “We are someone who believes in concentrating more on cricket. Yes, we have had to do a lot of other things that are surrounding cricket, but as a franchise, we know that our essence is cricket and we should stick to that,” he said at the event organized by Etihad, one of the team sponsors.
When asked about his incredible connection with fans, Dhoni explained that he never made an extra effort to cultivate it. “In my case, 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,” Dhoni said, offering a lesson for modern cricketers obsessed with social media.
He added that the consistency of the team played a crucial role in its success. “The support of the fans matters. When the chips are down, you can get that extra 10-15% from the crowd,” Dhoni concluded.
