MS Dhoni Proving He is a Boss off the Field

MS Dhoni, one of India’s most celebrated cricketers, is celebrating his 41st birthday. Throughout his career, as a cricketer, MS Dhoni has achieved so much, and as a person as well, MS Dhoni has given the cricketing World so many memorable moments. His witty statements and calm answers are often enough to leave watchers speechless. Below are a few incidents where MS Dhoni has proven that he is a boss without the bat or gloves in hand.

Refusing to celebrate after beating Australia

During the CB series in 2008, just as India was about to close out a simple victory, MS Dhoni decided to make a statement. The match is his fifteenth as leader of the ODI side and Australia was the ODI champions at that time, so a victory against Australia in Australia is a pretty big achievement. Dhoni though was quick to instruct Rohit Sharma and later the others to not celebrate extravagantly. Instead, the plan was to stick with simple handshakes, making a statement that beating Australia is not a big deal and this will happen more often in the future. The move was to ensure that the Australians did not feel the win was upset.

See Also: Happy Birthday to ‘Captain Cool’, MS Dhoni’s 41st! – Cricket Winner

MS Dhoni’s Banter with Chris Gayle

During an event, MS Dhoni and Chris Gayle took part in a healthy and funny discussion on stage. Chris Gayle stated that he is the fastest between the wickets with AB De Villiers a close second. Responding to Gayle, Dhoni agreed only to add that Chris Gayle is the quickest in moving from the leg-stump to the off-stump. Listening to this, the members on stage, Chris Gayle himself and the crowd burst into laughter as Chris Gayle was victim to Dhoni’s wittiness.

MS Dhoni’s response to an Australian reporter after the World Cup

India just lost in the semi-finals when Dhoni sat down for a press conference. At the press conference, Dhoni continued to maintain his composure. He received a question regarding his future. At this moment, Dhoni decided to be a little different with his answer. He went on to call the reporter and asked him a series of questions. There was a brief discussion with Dhoni posing the questions. After asking if he could survive the 2019 World Cup, Dhoni sent the reporter back as there was some laughter around the hall.

MS Dhoni Giving the Australian Reporters a Very Aussie Answer

In MS Dhoni’s last press conference, hours before he actually announced his retirement, Dhoni had some fun. The session was around 10-15 minutes long, and it was after the Melbourne Test ended in a draw. India officially lost the series, being down 2-0 with one Test to play. During the conference, an interesting question was posed. A reporter asked if Dhoni was pleased when Steve Smith shook hands with four to five overs left. In reply, Dhoni decided to answer a little differently. He said, ” I was ready to play a few more overs”. He added that he was already in for a good amount of time and maybe the Australians were to tired to bowl four more overs. The answer was again met with laughter as Dhoni said that’s a very Aussie Answer with a pleasant smile.

Bringing the Whole Team for a Press Conference.

Before the 2009 World T20 there were reports of a rift between MS Dhoni and Virender Sehwag. In a bid to show all is well, a surprising move was made. The entire Indian squad came for the press conference. At the conference, Dhoni gave a statement downplaying such rifts, and the act proved the unity in the side.

MS Dhoni Standing up for Ravindra Jadeja

While the previous incidents bring out Dhoni’s witty side, this one brings out another aspect of his leadership. During the 2014 England tour, there was a rift between Anderson and Jadeja. There was a controversial incident in the first Test. The incident went on to be in discussion throughout the series with charges pressed and then removed on both players at various stages. While there were reports of things going overboard, MS Dhoni was steady. He backed Jadeja throughout the incident. In a heated altercation, he was seen speaking up for Jadeja as well, and in the end, there were no charges pressed against Jadeja while Anderson was let off later as well.