Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bowling coach Lakshmipathy Balaji has expressed that the skipper, MS Dhoni is responsible for changing the perception of leadership among all captains. During a recent chat on Star Sports Tamil, Balaji recalled the immediate moments after Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15.
Recalling the incident at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai where the CSK players for a pre-season camp ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, Balaji said, “After practice gets over, I normally talk a lot to Dhoni about the wicket, about practicing and playing conditions. So that day, I finished practice and I went inside. I did not realize that he had already put his retirement message at 7:29 pm.”
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He further added, “So, after posting the message, Dhoni walked up to me as usual and he casually told me that he had asked the groundsman to water the ground extra for the pitch. I said okay. And I didn’t realize anything, it was a huge moment in his life. But, just like that, he moved on, and that’s Dhoni for you. I finally realized he announced his retirement. It took some time for me to sink at the moment. Dhoni’s uniqueness is the way he is detached.”
Dhoni will be leading the CSK squad in the IPL and has worked with Balaji since the latter was appointed as the bowling coach in 2018. Balaji, who last played for India in 2012 under Dhoni’s captaincy and also played for CSK, said there’s been nobody like Dhoni since the turn of the 21st century.
Explaining the same, “From the year 2000, according to me, there’s nobody like Dhoni who’s had such a massive influence on not just Indian cricket but world cricket. Even now if there are 20-plus runs needed to win in the last over and if I had to pick someone, it would always be Dhoni. Such a massive impact he has. His leadership and his batting styles are totally different.
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Lakshmipathy Balaji further elaborated, “His leadership changed the perception of leadership among all captains. The way he maintains his emotion on the field, maintaining the team environment and camaraderie, leading the team successfully, only MS Dhoni could do it.”
