New Delhi: MS Dhoni rarely loses his cool on and off the field and is known for keeping composure even in intense pressure situations. However, there have been some rare instances when Dhoni has displayed his other side and given an earful to someone after losing his cool. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting coach Michael Hussey recently recalled an episode when Dhoni blasted him during a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018.
IPL 2018 was Hussey’s first season as the batting coach of CSK as the franchise made their comeback in the league after a two-year ban. The former Australia batter recalled how Dhoni lost his cool on him after being dismissed by Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan. The incident happened during a match between CSK and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) during IPL 2018.
Hussey revealed that he received inputs from the team’s analyst before the game against SRH about Rashid’s particular action when he bowls his wrong’uns. The analyst sent him a video of a split screen depicting how Rashid’s grip changed when he bowled the wrong’uns. Though Hussey contemplated if he should send the information to the batters just a night before the game, he eventually did and it sort of backfired.
“The night before the big game, the analyst sends me through this split screen of Rashid Khan. And it’s basically when he bowls his wrong’uns, he runs in his fingers together and when he bowls his leggy, his fingers are apart. ‘Ooh this is good’. But this is the night before the game though, so I’m sitting on thinking do I send this out to the batters or do I not? I sat looking at it for an hour because you don’t want to put too much stuff guys’ head the night before the game,” Hussey said on the Backchat Podcast.
Hussey revealed Dhoni got bowled by Rashid in the game the next day and went berserk after returning in the dressing room. The former CSK captain gave an earful to Hussey, telling him that he would bat his own way and doesn’t need inputs from the coach or the analyst. Hussey was left stunned and thought his coaching career was over after the incident.
“We were like four down for nothing the next day and Dhoni’s in with Faf at the other. Rashid Khan comes in first ball and bowls the wrong’un. Dhoni goes for the cover drive, hitting against the spin, bowled. You got to understand that this guy is a mega star, like bigger than god. He comes in and looks me straight in the eye and he goes, ‘I’ll bat my own f***ing way, thanks’ and sits down next to me. Oh, Coaching career, done! I sat for the rest of the game like a stunned mullet,” revealed the CSK batting coach.
CSK defeated SRH to win IPL 2018 title
While Dhoni got dismissed by Rashid after scoring only 9 runs off 18 balls in the playoff match, CSK managed to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by two wickets to qualify for the final. CSK rode on opener Faf du Plessis’ unbeaten 67 off 42 balls to chase down a tricky target of 140 runs and book a spot in the summit clash of the tournament.
CSK once again came up against SRH in the final and defeated them comfortably by 8 wickets with 9 balls to spare to lift the trophy. Shane Watson slammed an unbeaten century to make it a one-sided final and guide CSK home in a 179-run chase. Chennai Super Kings have since won the IPL two more times in 2021 and 2023 and have the joint-most five titles to their name.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting coach Michael Hussey recently recalled how MS Dhoni lost his cool and blasted him after getting dismissed against Rashid Khan during IPL 2018. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
