Former teammate and India international, Zaheer Khan believes that MS Dhoni remains passionate about the sport but does not believe it is everything for the skipper who is gearing up once again to lead the Chennai Super Kings for IPL 2024.
Speaking in an episode dedicated to the legendary captain, Zaheer said, ” MS Dhoni understood a long time ago that he is passionate about cricket and it is an integral part of his life. But it couldn’t be everything”.
He also added how current players have to come to face the reality that their lives have meaning beyond the sport. “When you’re playing, switching off (from the game) is very important. Cricket is not everything. Every cricketer has to face this eventually,” said the former India pacer.
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He believes that self-awareness in MSD is there where he understood that there are things that matter more other than cricket. Zaheer also highlighted the importance of having things going that are unrelated to the sport as well.
The World Cup-winning bowler said,” When you step away from the game, you may not have a lot of options. We’ve seen many athletes struggle after retiring because they gave everything to the game, and when they left it, they didn’t know what to do. In this sense, MS Dhoni understood a long time ago that he is passionate about cricket and it is an integral part of his life. But it couldn’t be everything”.
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His former CSK team-mate, Suresh Raina highlighted that the biggest talking point for the franchise would be to figure out who will lead the line in the post-Dhoni era.
The IPL veteran said, “The biggest question is who’ll be their next captain? Even if Dhoni stepped away as captain, he’ll be in the dugout whether it’s as a mental toughness coach or just for his presence. But the question is, who is he going to nurture?”
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Raina sees the coming edition of the IPL as one that is more important for the franchise rather than Dhoni. He said, “This is a pivotal year for CSK. Who does MS have his eyes on? Ruturaj Gaikwad is a good option. This year is a very important year for CSK, more than for MS Dhoni.”
CSK led by MS Dhoni will gear up once again for IPL 2024 as they look to defend their title and begin the season by going up against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
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