"I could never quite stay in complete control of my emotions" - When an Australian legend admitted he was not as cool as MS Dhoni
Former India captain MS Dhoni is renowned for his calm and composed nature on the cricket field. No matter how tense the situation got, the keeper-batter more often than not managed to keep his emotions in check. This is one of the reasons the Ranchi-born cricketer is admired highly by fans and opponents.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting is also among those who respects Dhoni as a cricketer, leader and as a person overall. The two greats of world cricket crossed swords a few times in international cricket. Ponting has also witnessed the Indian superstar's craze in the Indian Premier League (IPL) while coaching different franchises in the T20 league.
Back in 2020, the former Australian captain expressed his admiration for the Indian legend and admitted that he was never as good as the former Indian captain at controlling his emotions. Ponting told news.com.au (as quoted by ESPNcricinfo):
"He never seems to let his emotions get the better of him, which is a really good trait in a leader -- as hard as I tried when I was on the field, I could never quite stay in complete control of my emotions.
"Indian teams always seemed to lift when he was captain. He always seemed to have this knack to be able to get the best out of his players. You knew that he had things under control, and his teammates loved that about him," the 49-year-old went on to add.
On his experience of being in India as part of the IPL and observing the Dhoni phenomenon from close quarters, Ponting had stated:
"I spend a lot of time in India now, so I know how revered he is in that part of the world. Even when you travel around the world and you listen to cricket fans, they talk about Dhoni and his leadership and how calm he seems to be under pressure on the field."
The former Australian batter coached Delhi Capitals (DC) in the IPL from 2018 to 2024. He was appointed Punjab Kings (PBKS) coach ahead of the 2025 season.
MS Dhoni was retained as an uncapped player by Chennai Super Kings for IPL 2025
While Ponting's playing days are long over, Dhoni (43) continues to be part of the IPL. After much suspense over his availability for the 2025 season, the former CSK captain was retained by his franchise as an uncapped Indian player for ₹4 crore. The BCCI brought back an old rule as per which any Indian player who hasn't played international cricket for five years can be considered uncapped.