"MS Dhoni gets as much love and respect as Sachin Tendulkar.."- Aakash Chopra

There is absolutely no denying that MS Dhoni is one of the most loved cricketers in the country. His inspiring journey in the game and unparalleled success as a cricketer has made him one of the most influential cricketers of all time.

Former cricketer Aakash Chopra has said MS Dhoni receives as much love and respect as Sachin Tendulkar used to get when he was plying his trade as a cricketer. Having seen the former India cricketer’s journey first as a cricketer himself and now as a commentator, Aakash Chopra hailed the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman as a cult hero and went on to compare his popularity with Tendulkar who is widely regarded as India’s greatest cricketer.

“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,” Aakash Chopra said in a video posted on his YouTube channel.

MS Dhoni has got a lot of love in Chennai: Aakash Chopra:

Speaking further, Aakash Chopra talked about MS Dhoni’s huge fan following in Chennai. The World Cup-winning captain has been associated with Chennai since being roped in by Chennai Super Kings in 2008. He has been leading the franchise since then and is one of the most beloved cricketers in the city.

“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.”

“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,” said Chopra.

Under MS Dhoni’s captaincy, CSK has been one of the most consistent teams in the IPL. They have won five IPL times in addition to finishing runners-up on five occasions. The Chennai-based outfit will be hoping to create history this year by becoming the first team to win the IPL six times.

IPL 2024 is scheduled to be played from March 22. Reigning champions CSK will open their campaign with a mouth-watering clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai.