New Delhi: The legendary MS Dhoni recently made his much-awaited podcast debut, where he spoke about a range of topics on his cricketing journey and also opened up about his future in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Dhoni, who retired from international cricket in 2020, is only active in the IPL where he continues to represent his franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
One of the most successful captains of all time for India and CSK, Dhoni is a name synonymous with success in Indian cricket. The only Indian captain to have won all three major ICC limited-overs titles, Dhoni led India to some memorable triumphs during his captaincy stint. He also enjoyed tremendous success as captain in the IPL, helping CSK reach ten finals and win a record-equalling five trophies.
On his maiden podcast appearance with renowned content creator Raj Shamani, which is live on the ‘Dhoni’ app, Dhoni addressed the rumours surrounding his retirement from the IPL. While speculations are nothing new, Dhoni’s parents making a rare appearance at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai during the clash between CSK and Delhi Capitals on Saturday, April 05 added fuel to the fire.
Many speculated that the match could be Dhoni’s last in the iconic yellow jersey as it was the first time his parents had been spotted watching at the stadium. However, as it turned out, there was no official announcement from Dhoni’s side after CSK lost the game by 25 runs. During the podcast, Dhoni revealed he plans to continue playing in the IPL till his body allows and will take it year by year.
“No, not right now. I am still playing the IPL. I have kept it very simple, I take it one year at a time, I am 43, by the time IPL 2025 finishes, I will be 44, so after that I have 10 months to decide if I would play or not. But it is not me deciding, it is my body that decides. So, one year at a time, we will see after that,” Dhoni said on the podcast.
Never thought I would play for India: MS Dhoni
Dhoni, who enjoyed a stellar career for India and remains one of the most successful captains in the country’s history, revealed he never thought about playing for India while growing up in the small city of Ranchi. The former India captain revealed there was no career path for youngsters in cricket at the time, and he started playing the game with a tennis ball in school before pursuing it professionally.
Dhoni also revealed how he used to play mostly with the seniors in his school as kids of his age mostly didn’t get into sports. The former India captain believes playing with boys older than him from a young age helped him in his career later.
“Never thought I would play for the country. I used to live in Ranchi. Earlier it was Bihar, now it is Jharkhand. There is no history of cricket career in our side. When I was in school, I never thought that I would play for India. When we were in school, we used to play with tennis ball and at that time I used to bowl,” said Dhoni.
“At that time I was very young and skinny. Then I was told to do wicketkeeping… I always used to play cricket against people who were senior to me. There were very few boys of my age who played cricket. So playing cricket with people senior to me was very important for me. Playing with seniors helped me,” he added.
Making his podcast debut, former India captain MS Dhoni made addressed the rumours regarding his retirement from the IPL and made an honest admission about playing for India. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
