CSK captain Rutoraj Gaikwad, right, and MS Dhoni during a training session. (PTI photo)
CHENNAI: There are a lot of expectations. MS Dhoni He will be seen in action for the last time at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Monday. He showed up late for practice on Sunday, got padded up, warmed up a bit and headed straight to the net, hitting the big sixes we’ve been used to seeing for years.Go beyond limits with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!There was no clarification from CSK as to whether they would play, although it was reported that they would do the traditional fan events that they do every year at the end of CSK’s home campaign. Although Dhoni has missed the middle of the season due to a calf injury, his experience has been invaluable to the team. During an event before the practice session on Sunday, Dhoni spoke about his suggestions to the captain. Rituraj Gaikwad.“I wanted Ruto to run CSK the way he wanted to run it. That’s how I’ve run CSK for a very long time. And I always felt that this is a game where the captain has to make decisions. Yes, there are coaches and assistants, but it’s not like football where the manager decides. In cricket, it is about the captain and he has to decide,” Dhoni said.Also read: Will MS Dhoni play in CSK’s last home game of the season today?Legend said there may be things Rituraj can pick up from him, but he needs to be his own man at the core. “Yes, there will be some things that he will choose the way I used to lead. But individuals are different… Whatever you feel is your style, you have full freedom to decide,” said Dhoni.The 44-year-old explained how he advised his supporters that he would be willing to offer advice. “I’m very open, I’ll come and talk to you, but you don’t have to do a single thing that I talk to you about. Let’s say I come with ten pieces of advice, if you don’t follow even one, that’s enough. When you’re a leader, you have to take responsibility. As a leader, you see what resources you have and how you want to use them,” Dhoni added.The former captain who guided the team to five titles insisted that he always insisted on a “cricket first” approach that led to the team’s success. “We are the ones who believe in focusing more on cricket. Yes, we have had to do a lot of other things around cricket, but as a franchisee, we know that our essence is cricket and we should stick to it,” he said at a function organized by Etihad, one of the team’s sponsors.Dhoni’s amazing fan connection also came up for discussion and the Jharkhand man explained how he didn’t go the extra mile to ensure it.“In my case, I never wanted to attract fans or have a lot of followers. I just wanted to be authentic, once you are authentic, people start loving you and they start picking up the things they like about you,” said Dhoni, which could be a lesson for rail-hungry cricketers of the modern age.He added that the team’s consistency went a long way in its success. “Fan support is important, when the chips are down, you can get an extra 10-15% from the crowd,” said Dhoni.
