MS Dhoni, famed for his placid manner, nevertheless has a fiery side, showing tough love to players such as Mohit Sharma and Deepak Chahar.
Even though MS Dhoni is renowned for having a cool head, several of his teammates have seen personally the furious side of the famous captain. Dhoni’s leadership is based on a systematic and frequently intense approach, which has brought three ICC crowns to India and five IPL championships to Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Underneath his calm, collected demeanor is a man consumed by passion and an unwavering quest for excellence. His teammates have sometimes experienced the pinch of his rage when things don’t go according to plan.
Dhoni has demonstrated that he is not immune to meltdowns, from the time he was shoved by Mitchell Johnson in 2009 during an ODI against Australia to the iconic scene when he crushed Mustafizur Rahman to the ground. Of course, there’s also the notorious incident in which he chastised Manish Pandey severely for failing to pay attention on the non-striker’s end.
Mohit Sharma, a PL veteran who has played a crucial role for CSK under Dhoni’s direction, recently talked about the occasions when Dhoni’s annoyance was directed towards him. Thanks mostly to Dhoni’s unwavering coaching, which often took the form of stern criticism, Mohit amassed 69 wickets in his two stints with CSK (2013–2015 and 2019), making him the team’s sixth-highest wicket-taker.
During the “2 Sloggers” podcast, Mohit revealed, “We’ve got a lot of abuses from him.” However, he always asserts that what occurs on the field remains there. He won’t be furious with you off the field, but he will make you realize later.He’s told me a lot of stories. You lose concentration easily when you bowl quickly. Sometimes I would be preoccupied with something else, like the crowd, and Dhoni bhai would wave at me. For that, I’ve taken a lot of heat.
Mohit underlined that Dhoni never harbors resentment after a match because, despite Dhoni’s harsh criticism, it’s all just part of the game. Never aiming to demoralize players, his reprimands are meant to help them concentrate and get better.Deepak Chahar has taken up Dhoni’s tough love role as Mohit is no longer a fixture in the CSK team. Dhoni pulls Chahar’s leg like a big brother, and he’s frequently seen laughingly reprimanding him or using foul language. All of it, though, is constructive criticism as Chahar has flourished under Dhoni’s tutelage and even took 22 wickets in the 2019 Indian Premier League season. In fact, Dhoni’s faith in Chahar was reinforced when he forced him to bowl four consecutive overs in several games.
In a lighthearted narrative from the 2019 Indian Premier League, Mohit Sharma related how Chahar faced Dhoni’s annoyance personally. In a steamy, muggy contest in Chennai, Chahar delivered a knuckleball that was smashed for a boundary. Not wanting to bowl the knuckleball again, Dhoni, ever watchful, gave him some advice. Chahar nodded, but he tried the knuckleball again after a few balls had passed, and the batsman knocked it down.
Following the game, Dhoni approached Chahar, wrapped his arm around his shoulder, and said, “Bewakoof tu nahi hai, bewakoof main hu” (You’re not the fool, I am),” as Mohit remembered it with fondness.“ Mahi bhai told him a few beautiful things, probably abuses. It was one of those instances that perfectly captured Dhoni’s temperament—stern when required, but ultimately kind and upbeat all the time.
Like he did with Mohit in his early days, Dhoni harbors affections for Chahar despite his reprimands. Chahar has developed more under Dhoni’s guidance, becoming an important player for CSK and a better cricket player.
