Mahendra Singh Dhoni is widely regarded as one of the greatest captains in the sport. He led CSK to four Indian Premier League titles including one in the previous edition of the tournament. Even as he stepped down from the leadership role ahead of the current edition of IPL, Dhoni's on-field decision-making continues to benefit the Super Kings. Dhoni is known for his sharp brain and ultra-cool demeanor on the cricket field, but there are times when even the ‘Captain Cool’ lost his calm. (Follow IPL 2022 Coverage)
Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson, who shared the dressing room with Dhoni during the former's stint at Chennai Super Kings for three seasons between 2018-2020, recalled the moment from the 2019 edition of the tournament.
The Mumbai Indians had defeated CSK in the final of the season and Watson revealed how Dhoni vent out his frustration.
“When you talk about whether he gets flustered or anything.. the only time I've seen him a tiny bit frustrated was when we lost against Mumbai Indians in the IPL final in 2019. I saw him kick his bag a little bit, just a tiny bit! So, you could see how much it meant to him!” Watson recalled as he chuckled during a conversation for The Grade Cricketer podcast.
“He's just that type of a person who is super cool. You are around someone who, no matter what the situation is, how the team is going, he's just so calm and that is what resonates throughout the whole group. One of the most important things in the cricket environment is to take all the pressure and worry and stress out. That's what he does, because of the person he is.”
{{/usCountry}}“He's just that type of a person who is super cool. You are around someone who, no matter what the situation is, how the team is going, he's just so calm and that is what resonates throughout the whole group. One of the most important things in the cricket environment is to take all the pressure and worry and stress out. That's what he does, because of the person he is.”
{{/usCountry}}At 40, Dhoni is playing in his 15th season for the Super Kings and on Thursday, he played a match-winning knock as the former CSK captain remained unbeaten on 28 off just 13 deliveries to steer the side to a three-wicket victory against MI.