“MS Dhoni’s influence has been there all the time, even when he wasn’t captain”, CSK bowling coach

MS Dhoni led Chennai to a five-wicket win against Lucknow Super Giants and brought them back to the winning ways. On Monday Dhoni’s cameo once again proved why he is invaluable to the side. Speaking of the same CSK’s bowling coach highlighted Dhoni’s influence on the players.

Dhoni leads CSK to win

Dhoni once again showed his brilliance with the bat and scored an unbeaten 26 runs off 11 balls to win the match for CSK. His runs came at the moment when the team needed it. In the chase of 167 runs against Lucknow Super Giants, Dhoni and Shivam Dube (43*) took the side to the finishing line.

This win was a must for Chennai after losing five matches in this IPL so far. Despite winning the latest match, CSK are standing at the bottom with just four points in IPL 2025. Meanwhile, Dhoni has scored 130 runs in IPL 2025, with an average of 43.33 and strike of 158.33 with eight sixes to his name.

Chennai’s bowling coach Eric Simmons said after the match, “His influence has been there all the time, you know, even when he wasn’t captain. His relationship with Rutu is very important. His relationship with Fleming is very important. His relationship with all the players is very important.

It’s not that he teaches typical technical issues about the game, but it’s the calmness that you see out there—that’s how he teaches you to play the game. He teaches an understanding of cricket, which is a very important aspect of the game. So that influence, that calmness that he brings, has always been there, but tonight we saw it once again.”

He emphasized on Dhoni’s impact on the team. According to Simmons, Dhoni as a person makes the influence. “You know, the fact that he’s captain or not captain—he’s the same person. It didn’t change when he wasn’t, in terms of his actual influence on the team. He’s obviously a very important part of our setup. As I said, it’s a pity that Ruturaj is not there to play and be our captain and our leader, but MS has always been like that.”

Dhoni’s wisdom matters to the team

Simmons further explained why Dhoni being a captain does not make a big difference as he has been there for the team always. “As I said, it doesn’t feel like a massive change because he’s always been there to give advice, give thoughts, give inputs.

And as I said, he’s always a calming influence and gives a great level of understanding about how cricket should be played. His wisdom is tremendous,” Simmons reiterated.

Simmons concluded by highlighting the privilege of working with Dhoni. “I think we’ve all been privileged. I’ve been privileged to work with him [MS Dhoni] for many years. You’ve been privileged to report on him, to watch him. Any spectator that’s watched him play the game has had a privileged experience.

But his influence has been there all the time. Even when he wasn’t captain, his relationship with Rutu was very important. His relationship with the Flemish was very important. His relationship with all the players is very important. And it’s not that he teaches technical issues about the game, but it’s the calmness that you see out there, how to play the game.”

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