‘MS Dhoni is the only person…’, Yuzvendra Chahal reveals how the CSK captain backed him after a poor game

Team India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has admitted that he was and will remain in awe of former India skipper MS Dhoni. He candidly admitted that Dhoni is the only person in front of whom he gets tongue-tied. Chahal and left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav have often credited Dhoni’s role behind the stumps in their success at the international level. Both the spinners lost their place in the team after Dhoni retired from international cricket and made a strong comeback afterwards.

Whenever MS Dhoni Bhaiya used to advise me or asked me to do so, I used to trust him blindly. He knows everything about the game, he reads the game the best”._
-Yuzvendra Chahal pic.twitter.com/Qfo3SaIXCV

— _ (@balltamperrer) 16 July 2023

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Awe-inspiring silence in Dhoni’s presence

In an interview on Ranveer Allahbadia’s YouTube channel, Chahal expressed his admiration for Dhoni. “He is the only person, I stop speaking when I come in front of him.” No matter what my mood, I don’t speak much. I just sit quietly and answer only when Mahi bhai asks something. Otherwise, I just keep quiet,” he said.

Dhoni’s guidance and influence on Chahal and Yadav.

On how Dhoni interacts with the players, the leg-spinner replied that anyone can talk to him on any issue. Praising the veteran, he recalled an incident when the keeper-batsman encouraged him even when he was going for a lot of runs in T20Is.

“We were playing a T20 match against South Africa in Centurion. For the first time, I got 64 runs in my four overs. (Heinrich) Klaasen was hitting me, so he asked me if I would bowl round the wicket. I said ok, but then Klaasen hit me for a six,” said the 32-year-old. Continuing the story, Chahal said that Dhoni taught him an important lesson.

Blind trust in Dhoni’s guidance

“I was going back when Mahi bhai came up to me and said to me, ‘Aaj tere din nahi hai, koi baat nahi’ (Today is not your day, no matter what). But he told me that in the five balls that are left with me, I should try not to hit boundaries as it will help the team. From that experience, I realized that even if you have an off day, you can still support the team,” he said.

Dhoni’s impact on Chahal’s career!

Chahal went wicketless in the match and Heinrich Klaasen scored a 30-ball 69 in South Africa’s chase of 189. “I trusted him blindly” – Chahal on his equation with Dhoni. Elaborating on his on-field equation with Dhoni, Chahal said that he blindly trusted the legendary cricketer and mostly followed the advice he was given. He also admitted that it has brought him a lot of success.

“I trusted him blindly. If he used to tell me something, I used to follow it. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I followed him and five percent, I told him my side. When we used to come to bowl, it was after the 10th over, they knew what was happening on the wicket and how the surface was going,” he said.