‘He taught me how to stay neutral’ – Indian opener lauds MS Dhoni and for his influence on the game

Former Indian skipper MS Dhoni is known for remaining cool not only in winning situations but also in pressure situations as well. Be it a stunning victory or a humiliating defeat, he remains calm and composed in both situations. Dhoni does not limit his brilliant quality just to himself but he passed it on to his teammates as well and he also revealed how Dhoni talks to his teammates after a defeat. Ruturaj Gaikwad asserted in a conversation with Aakash Chopra.

“All the (Chennai franchise) players gelled really well. Everyone used to be a little quiet for 10-15 mins after losing a game. But Mahi bhai…after coming back from the presentation, would tell us, ‘Relax boys, it happens’,” Gaikwad, who plays for the Dhoni-led Chennai franchise in Indian T20 League said.

He added, “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.”

MS Dhoni’s meetings are usually very short: Ruturaj Gaikwad

Dhoni is one of the players who has remained in Chennai franchise for all seasons [except the two seasons (2016, 2017) they were banned for]. Gaikwad said that he maintained a similar atmosphere even during the difficult period as well as in the last edition of the Indian T20 League when the franchise made a poor start under the captaincy of Ravindra Jadeja and in the middle of the season Dhoni took over the captaincy from him. 

“Win or lose, MS Dhoni made sure that the team atmosphere remained the same. Yes, there was surely a lot of disappointment, but no negativity. There was no blame game. A lot of times when you keep on losing, different groups are formed within the team. But that didn’t happen in Chennai franchise,” Gaikwad said.

Gaikwad also told how Dhoni keep his meetings short and crisp. In the meeting, he also told that it is not possible to win each and every match. 

“MS Dhoni’s meetings are usually very short. Even after losing, the longest meeting would be around two or three minutes. He would tell us that there is a dinner plan, so make sure everyone is ready for it. He would make us understand that it isn’t possible for Chennai franchise to win each and every time,” he said.