"The love and respect he gets is as much as I saw Sachin Paaji getting" - Aakash Chopra on the adulation for MS Dhoni
Aakash Chopra reckons MS Dhoni is given as much love and respect as Sachin Tendulkar used to get during his playing days.
Dhoni enjoyed great success in international cricket both as a player and a captain before announcing his retirement in 2020. He has continued to play for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) after giving up international cricket and has since led them to two IPL trophies in 2021 and 2023.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra noted that MS Dhoni has been revered as much as Sachin Tendulkar. He said (13:45):
"Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a cult hero. As his career progressed, the love and respect kept going to a different level. The love and respect he gets is as much as I saw Sachin Paaji getting."
The former India opener pointed out that the talismanic skipper gave up Test cricket once Virat Kohli was ready to take over the captaincy role.
"Generally, you are lingering on. You feel the respect is going but the guy doesn't want to leave and keeps playing. He did not do that. In 2015, when we were in Australia, he said that he was done with Test cricket. He said that he has prepared Virat and that he can take the team forward," Chopra stated.
Chopra observed that Dhoni realized that the Indian Test team didn't need him anymore and he didn't chase a few personal records that were around the corner either. He added that the wicketkeeper-batter quietly announced his international retirement through an Instagram post even though he might not be active on social media otherwise.
"It seems like he is one of their own" - Aakash Chopra on CSK fans' love for MS Dhoni
Aakash Chopra noted that MS Dhoni is treated like a local cricketer in Chennai. He stated (15:00):
"The way Chennai has adopted him, you get to see that in very few places with any player. He is not from there but it never seemed like he is not from there. It seems like he is one of their own, as though he might have been born in one of Chennai's lanes."
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the Jharkhand native has returned the love in equal measure.
"In a sense, he is an outsider, he comes from Ranchi, but he got a lot of love from there. He returned that love with a lot of performances. He embraced the team and won them a lot," Chopra observed.
Dhoni has amassed 5082 runs at an average of 38.79 and a strike rate of 135.91 in 218 IPL innings for the Chennai Super Kings. He has led them to five IPL titles and will hope to win a record sixth trophy this year in what could be his final season as a player in the prestigious league.