Ms. Dhoni and CSK are the two names that go hand in hand; however, when the team was banned in 2016 and 2017, Ms. Dhoni played for the Rising Pune Super giants. Ms. Dhoni’s former teammate Dan Christian spoke about the equation that Dhoni would share with Steve Smith on being appointed as skipper of the side.
Dan Christian revealed a shocking incident: Ms. Dhoni would sometimes go out to bat without even letting the captain and coach know about her plans.
Dan Christian said, “”If we lost a wicket, maybe at 12–13 overs, Stokes, me, or someone else was due to go next. Dhoni stood up, put on his gear, and just went like that. He wouldn’t tell anyone. Smith or Coach Fleming wasn’t going to do anything.”
Before that, former Australian skipper Steve Smith also shared his experience working with Ms.
In his interaction with Star Sports, Steve Smith said, “Of course, you know he’s been able to achieve so much over such a long period of time; he’s going to go down as one of the best leaders to play the game for sure. So, you know, when I got the call to say that they wanted me to captain, it was a little bit daunting. But that season, MSD was just wonderful. You know, he helped in any way that he could, and he’s a terrific guy. It was a great experience being able to captain him, but also very daunting as well.”
Smith also shared about the emotions that he went through when he was appointed as captain of the side with Dhoni in it.
Smith said, “Yeah, I didn’t really know what to expect initially; you know, MS had captained every team he played for, obviously throughout the IPL with Chennai, every season, should I say? But yeah, when they came and asked me, I was a little bit shocked at first, and then I didn’t really know what to say. It was like, have you spoken to MS about this? This is a little bit strange from my side, but after we sorted everything out, MS was just wonderful. And the way he helped me and helped guide that team that year was incredible. And yeah, I couldn’t thank him enough.”
Smith also shared his experience working on the field with Dhoni. Smith said, “Well, it was a while ago now, but yeah, look out on the field. He was someone with whom I was bouncing ideas off. You know, being behind the stumps, he’s got a great, great view of the game. He understands the angles really well, and obviously playing in India is also, you know, his home, and he understands those conditions as well as anyone would. So, you know, I would’ve been stupid if I wasn’t trying to get as much knowledge as I could out of him in the middle. And yeah, he was very helpful and certainly helped us achieve what we did that year.”
Smith also spoke about the learning that he got from Dhoni over the years.
Smith said, “I think just the calmness that MS shows—we saw it throughout his career—just how calm he was. It didn’t look like he was flustered by any emotions or anything like that. And that’s certainly something that I’ve taken in, not just in that season, but just watching him go about his business in the prior years, just how calm and relaxed he was. And you know, at times I can get quite agitated and do things like that. So, you know, I have to try and keep myself as calm and levelheaded as I can. And yeah, that’s certainly something that I learned from MS.”
