MS Dhoni is widely regarded as one of the finest captains in cricket history, not just for India but for the entire world. Dhoni is the only captain to have won all of the major ICC trophies during his reign.
Captain cool, his ability to remain calm under pressure and achieve results has not only captured the attention of cricketing luminaries, but has also earned the hearts of many cricket fans.
Even in IPL 2023, Dhoni maintained his cool and provided results. The 41-year-old captained the Indian team till 2017, during which time many players made their debut.
KL Rahul was one such player, having joined the club after some outstanding achievements on the local circuit.
The elegant Indian opener recently opened up on MS Dhoni's captaincy and the manner he handled the team with his composed approach on a YouTube talk show with Ranveer Allahbadia. Rahul even stated that the former Indian wicketkeeper believed in developing positive relationships with the players so that they would be willing to fight alongside him for the team's victory.
"He said this to me a lot of times... trust your gut as a captain. That's something he did, as a leader and as a person in general. The first thought that you get, you always question it, but he never questioned it. If he had a gut feeling about a certain thing, he would never try to question it or second-guess it. He did it, whether it went well or didn't go well. That's what helped him in a lot of ways. That's why he was unorthodox in a lot of ways, people didn't understand at the time but he trusted his gut feeling. That's why he got results too,"
Rahul said.
The elegant Indian wicketkeeper also admitted that he misses Dhoni's presence in the Indian dressing room due to the way he handled players and the bond he shared with them. In the episode, the 31-year-old also stated that the former Indian captain always trusted his instincts as a leader and in his personal life. He never questioned his gut instinct and stuck with it regardless of the outcome.
KL Rahul is poised to miss the World Test Championship Final against Australia, which is set to begin on June 7 at The Oval in London. The Karnataka native suffered an injury while fielding against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL 2023, and was subsequently ruled out of the cash-rich event as well as the WTC Final. Notably, Rahul is currently successfully recovering from his injury.
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