Mahendra Singh Dhoni is widely regarded as one of India's greatest captains. The only captain to lift all ICC trophies so far (ODI and T20 World Cup, Champions Trophy, and the Test Mace), Dhoni had made his name for being a calm presence as a leader for both, India and Chennai Super Kings. Currently taking part in the Indian Premier League, Dhoni is one of the most sought-after players among the cricketers participating in the season, and often after games, the CSK captain could be seen having a word with the younger generation of players.
Dhoni led the Indian team until 2017 and justifiably, a great number of players made their international debuts under the wicketkeeper-batter; KL Rahul was one of them as well. A stylish batter who could keep the wickets too, Rahul has now opened up on playing under Dhoni for India and stated that it was vital for him to start his career under the 41-year-old's captaincy, revealing the many learnings he had under his tutelage.
“MS Dhoni was my first captain. I've seen how he has handled the team, the calmness and the things that he does behind the scenes. Building the relationship with each person is something I've learnt from him. You need to build a relationship where these boys will fight for you, and with you,” Rahul told YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, more commonly known as BeerBiceps.
Rahul stated that he does miss Dhoni's presence in the Indian dressing room, and revealed a big piece of advice that the former India captain had shared with him on multiple occasions.
{{/usCountry}}Rahul stated that he does miss Dhoni's presence in the Indian dressing room, and revealed a big piece of advice that the former India captain had shared with him on multiple occasions.
{{/usCountry}}"I've realised much later, once when he retired and now he's not part of dressing room, I realised the presence of that man and the greatness that was a part of him. It's probably every cricket lover's dream to be in the dressing room and be captained by MS Dhoni. He's very simple in his approach, what you see is what you get. Even on the field, he is very calm. It's not just that he's being that way. He's very balanced in everything that he does.
"He has ways of building a relationship with each person. The bond that he creates... he has his own way. And he will know what's happening with each individual, personally and in his game. He knows everything about everybody, and that's what made him such a great leader.
“He said this to me a lot of times... trust your gut as a captain. That's something he did, as a leader and as a person in general. The first thought that you get, you always question it, but he never questioned it. If he had a gut feeling about a certain thing, he would never try to question it or second-guess it. He did it, whether it went well or didn't go well. That's what helped him in a lot of ways. That's why he was unorthodox in a lot of ways, people didn't understand at the time but he trusted his gut feeling. That's why he got results too,” Rahul said.
Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings are currently 2nd in the IPL table and look in prime position to qualify for the playoffs of the season. KL Rahul, meanwhile, was forced to withdraw from the edition mid-way through the Lucknow Super Giants campaign due to a hamstring injury; Rahul will also miss the World Test Championship final, scheduled to take place between June 7-11 against Australia.