"MS Dhoni taught me how to stay calm despite a win or loss"- Young Indian opener recalls his memory with MSD

MS Dhoni was arguably one of the best captains that the game has ever seen. His leadership qualities and tactics behind the stumps made him a brilliant leader. But that was not it. He was also a great finisher, winning many matches for his team single-handedly.

But there was one other quality about the former Indian captain that made him the best, and it was his ability to stay calm even in the highs and lows of his career. That is why he was known as "Captain Cool" of the Indian cricket team.

Whether it was a big loss or a huge win, he was always calm and composed, and there were only a few moments in his entire career that he lost his cool. And he was not calm himself; even the players who play under his leadership try to stay calm, irrespective of the match situation.

MS Dhoni's CSK teammate and emerging Indian star Ruturaj Gaikwad has opened up about how MSD addressed CSK even after the loss. In a discussion with former Indian opener Aakash Chopra, Gaikwad said everyone used to stay quiet after losing the game, but once Mahi Bhai used to come, he wanted the team to be relaxed.

He said, "But Mahi bhai…after coming back from the presentation, would tell us, ‘Relax boys, it happens’. You tend to relax a little bit after hearing that. MS Dhoni taught me how to stay neutral when things aren’t going your way. And even when you are on the winning side, it is important to stay neutral."

MSD has led the Chennai Super Kings in almost all the seasons since the very first season, and under his leadership, CSK has won four titles. However, their performance in IPL 2022 was their worst when they finished second from the bottom on the points table.

Gaikwad said that despite a poor performance throughout the season, MSD made sure that the team atmosphere should remain the same, and there was disappointment in the performance but no negativity. He further said that MSD usually takes short team meetings for just 2-3 minutes and makes everyone understand that it is hard for even CSK to win every game.