Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who retired from international cricket in August 2020, is preparing for his 18th season in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 43-year-old, widely regarded as one of the most successful captains of India, admitted that maintaining peak fitness at this stage of his career is no easy task.
Dhoni stated, “I am not fit as I used to be, lot of efforts now needs to be there on what you are eating and I am doing very specific thing to be fit for cricket. We are not fast bowlers so our requirements are not that intense.”
He further added, “What really helps me is playing a lot of sports in between eating and going to the gym. So whenever I get time I like to play a lot of different sports, may be tennis, badminton, football, that keeps me engaged. That’s the best way of being in touch with fitness.”
MS Dhoni, however, doesn’t miss international cricket, as he feels contented with the contributions he made to bring pride to the nation. As captain, he led India in 60 Test matches, achieving 27 wins, 18 losses and 15 draws, with a win percentage of 45.00, making him one of the most successful Test leaders of the country. Under his leadership, India reached the top of the ICC Test rankings.
Mahi stated, “I thought I will get more time, but sadly, I haven’t got much time. I don’t miss international cricket because I always believe you know you think about everything then you take a decision. Once you have taken a decision no point really thinking about that. So I am very happy with God’s grace whatever I was able to do for my country.”
The wicketkeeper-batter, who is also touted as one of the best finishers of the game, added, “Other than that it has been fun. I have been able to spend a lot of time with friends, I can do a lot more motorcycle rides, not the long ones, that’s something very close to my heart. It has been good, family time, daughter questioning when you are coming back.”
He remains the only captain in history to have won all the three ICC limited-overs trophies- the T20 World Cup in 2007, the ODI World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy in 2013. Dhoni attributes his success to the support of his parents and close friends.
MSD said, “My parents… because they had to sacrifice a lot and I feel a lot of discipline that I have today is because of my parents. Friends are always important, you have a different set of friends when you are till Class 2 and in my case from Class 3 onwards friends changed a bit and then when you go to plus 2 it changes. So I always felt that friends are always very important part of who you are because it is the friends who can make a big difference. Upbringing helps you to choose the right thing. So, I am grateful to my parents and close friends.”
Renowned for his calm demeanor on the field, Dhoni captained India in 200 ODIs, achieving 110 wins, 74 losses and 5 draws. In T20Is, he led India in 74 matches, securing 41 victories.
He further talked about his cool and calm attitude, “You first need to differentiate what is controllable. If you start complicating stuffs then it becomes very difficult to understand that. Like in cricket, people talk about what is cricket and then you come up with different explanations. One of the best ways to play cricket for a batsman is you watch the ball and you react to whatever is bowled at you.”
MS Dhoni added, “For me controllable in cricket is I have to practice well, I have to eat well, I have to be fit, how much sleep I had before the game, how much hydration I had, how much I had tried to get information about the opposition.”
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MS Dhoni keeps things pretty simple, doesn’t he?
