NEW DELHI: Self-discipline was the foundation of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s illustrious cricketing career, and the legendary former India captain continues to uphold the same principles even after retirement. It is this disciplined approach to life that he wishes to instill in young cricketers.
Dhoni bid farewell to international cricket in August 2020, concluding a remarkable career that included triumphs in the ICC T20 World Cup (2007), ICC Men’s ODI World Cup (2011), and the 2013 Champions Trophy.
Speaking at an event on Wednesday, Dhoni reflected on his mindset during his playing days.
“You always need to figure out what is good for you. When I was playing, I made sure that cricket was a whole for me — nothing else mattered. What time I had to sleep? What time I had to get up? What impact it had on (my) cricket, that was the most important thing.
“You know, all the friendships, the fun, all those can happen later. There is a right time for everything and I felt if you are able to recognise that, that’s the best thing you can do (for yourself), For me as a cricketer, I always wanted to perform for the Indian cricket team because I’ve said that in the past also, that not everybody gets a chance to represent the country,”
“For us as cricketers, whenever we went on to the big stage or whenever we were touring, there was a chance for us to win laurels for the country and so for me it was the country that always came first,” said Dhoni at an event at which the mobile app ‘Dhoni’ was unveiled.
Despite having retired from international cricket, Dhoni still continues to wins the hearts of all cricket lovers in the Indian Premier League where he plays for the Chennai Super Kings.
When asked about his life post retirement, Dhoni said, “I’ve retired since 2019, so it will be quite some time. What I’ve been doing in the meantime is I just want to enjoy cricket for the last, whatever few years, you know, I will be able to play,”
He said cricket is still a part of his life but he wants to enjoy it as he used to to as a child.
“I want to enjoy it, how I did as a child when I was in school. When I lived in a colony, 4 o’clock (in the afternoon) was sports time, so we’ll go and play cricket more often than not. But if the weather doesn’t permit, we used to play football. I want to play with the same kind of innocence… (but it is) easier said than done,” he added.
