MS Dhoni taught me not to tamper with something that was going well: S Badrinath
Indian batsman S Badrinath believes that MS Dhoni has been one of the greatest players India has ever produced and that he has learnt a lot from him while playing for the Chennai Super Kings.
Badrinath played under MS Dhoni in the IPL for the Chennai Super Kings, and this was where he got his recognition and a chance to play for India. He played 2 Tests, 7 ODIs and 1 T20I. Badrinath says he got to learn a lot of things under the captaincy of MS Dhoni and the one thing that mattered the most was the art of consistency.
"One thing that I learnt from Dhoni was that if something is going well, it's important not to tamper with it. Even we don't know, but something is working. And it's better to not touch it. CSK is one of the most grounded franchises because we always went there and did our jobs," Badrinath told Hindustan Times
MS Dhoni is the only captain to win all three major white-ball tournaments
MS Dhoni is the only captain to have won all three major white-ball ICC tournaments - the T20 World Cup, the ODI World Cup and the Champions Trophy. He has also been one of the most successful IPL captains, winning the tournament thrice with the Chennai Super Kings.
While captaining the Chennai Super Kings, MS Dhoni backed many players like Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay and Badrinath himself, who was not considered to be a T20 specialist by many. These players repaid the faith shown by MS Dhoni and made the Chennai Super Kings a dominant side.
Badrinath recalls his maiden IPL fifty
Badrinath also recalled his first IPL fifty against Kings XI Punjab in the semifinals of the 2008 IPL. He believes that it was that innings which changed the perspective of many and gave him added confidence.
“My first IPL fifty is quite memorable. I got a 64 against Kings XI Punjab in 2008. That was a very important knock for me because back then I wasn’t believed as a T20 cricketer. That knock showed to the world and made me also believe that ‘Ok, I’ve got a nice knock in IPL and now I know that I can succeed in this format.’ My close friend L Balaji also got a hat-trick in that game and we won it. It made a huge switch in my mindset,” Badrinath asserted.
Badrinath, just like several MS Dhoni fans, will be hopeful of seeing his former captain back in action when the IPL does eventually happen. With the T20 World Cup likely to be postponed, the IPL could be held in the late September-early November window.