"MS Dhoni will never spoon-feed"- CSK player

MS Dhoni is regarded as one of the best players the game of cricket has ever produced. The legendary India captain has numerous records to his name as a captain, a player, and a wicketkeeper.

He is the joint most successful IPL captain alongside Rohit Sharma with five IPL trophies to his name.

Dhoni's CSK teammate Shardul Thakur recently opened up on Dhoni's valuable advice.

Thakur claimed that Dhoni would never spoon-feed any junior player and would instead ask the player to come up with his own plans.

Thakur also spoke about Dhoni's historic legacy. The wicketkeeper-batter led India to three major ICC titles, T20 World Cup 2007, ODI World Cup 2011, and Champions Trophy 2013. He is regarded as one of the best international captains ever.

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Shardul Thakur opens up on MS Dhoni's valuable advice to him

While speaking at an event hosted by IISM, Shardul Thakur recalled his experience of playing with MS Dhoni.

Thakur revealed that Dhoni would always tell a player to come up with his game plan rather than spoon-feeding him. Despite not spoon-feeding, he was always there to help the youngsters in case the plans didn't work out.

"Playing with him has always been special because he allows us to grow. He allows us to come up with our own plan. So he will never spoon-feed us. He will say, 'Tomorrow I might not be available behind the wickets. What will you do? Go back to your room, think about your game, and come up with your plans, if it doesn't work then I will intervene," Shardul Thakur said.

While speaking on MS Dhoni's legacy, Shardul Thakur felt that apart from winning three ICC trophies, Dhoni has groomed the current legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli during his tenure. He revealed that Dhoni always backed Kohli and Rohit, which helped them establish themselves in the Indian team.

"The legacy that he has left behind, three ICC Trophies, grooming so many youngsters. Even the current greats I would say, Virat, and Rohit, everyone in their life had a time where they could have been dropped. But the great MS Dhoni backed them and what they did after 2012 onwards up until now," Thakur added.

MS Dhoni is still an active cricketer

Although Dhoni has retired from international cricket, he is still playing the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Under his leadership, CSK became IPL champions for the record fifth time in 2023. However, Dhoni decided to give up the captaincy before IPL 2024 and groom Ruturaj Gaikwad for the role.

The move did not quite work as CSK finished fifth in the points table and just missed the cut for the playoffs because of the lower net run rate than Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

Certain injury concerns throughout the CSK squad also affected the team's combination this year which meant CSK failed to reach the playoffs for just the third time in history.

Meanwhile, Shardul Thakur is currently running out of the Indian team. It remains to be seen whether CSK retains him in the upcoming mega-auction or not.

MS Dhoni's legacy in IPL

Dhoni has been at the helm of CSK since the inaugural season of IPL in 2008. He took CSK to the final in the first year. CSK's first IPL title came in the 2010 season under MS Dhoni and the team defended its title in 2011.

Alongside being a captain, MS Dhoni is also regarded as the best finisher to have ever played the game. He has scored 10773 runs in ODIs at an average of 50.57 in ODIs, which is unbelievable considering his batting position.