Chennai Super Kings beat Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium on Monday, April 12 quite convincingly to end their 5-match losing streak. Captain MS Dhoni, who took over the rein from injured Ruturaj Gaikwad, was named the Player of the Match for his stunning wicketkeeping and batting performance. Speaking after the game, bowling coach Eric Simmons shared the impact created by Dhoni and how it has helped the team over the years. He also praised MS Dhoni’s ‘zen-like’ presence that helps the team.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Simmons said, “His influence has been there all the time, you know, even when he wasn’t captain. His relationship with Rutu is very important. His relationship with Fleming is very important. His relationship with all the players is very important. It’s not that he teaches typical technical issues about the game, but it’s the calmness that you see out there—that’s how he teaches you to play the game. He teaches an understanding of cricket, which is a very important aspect of the game. So that influence, that calmness that he brings, has always been there, but tonight we saw it once again.”

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However, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the tournament after injuring his arm during the team’s match against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati. Dhoni took over the captaincy as well. Simmons also said that Dhoni taking over the side did not feel like a massive change to the team as well.

“You know, the fact that he’s captain or not captain—he’s the same person. It didn’t change when he wasn’t, in terms of his actual influence on the team. He’s obviously a very important part of our setup. As I said, it’s a pity that Ruturaj is not there to play and be our captain and our leader, but MS has always been like that. As I said, it doesn’t feel like a massive change because he’s always been there to give advice, give thoughts, give inputs. And as I said, he’s always a calming influence and gives a great level of understanding about how cricket should be played. His wisdom is tremendous,” Simmons concluded.