‘It’s not me deciding’: MS Dhoni on retirement; talks hard work, victories and defeats, all things cricket

Former Indian skipper and wicket-keeper MS Dhoni in a recent podcast spoke about his formative years, and how he has transitioned from a key player to a mentor, and what his retirement plans are. Dhoni, who still plays for Indian Premier League franchise, Chennai Super Kings, said that it is barely for him to decide on his retirement. 

Speaking to podcaster Raj Shamani, Dhoni, speaking about retirement said, “No, not now. I am still playing in the IPL. I have kept it very simple, I play one year at a time. I am 43 and by the time I finish July, I will be 44. So then I have 10 months to decide whether I want to play another year or not. It’s not me deciding, it’s the body that tells you whether you can or cannot. So one year at a time. Fully focused on what needs to be done right now, we will see after that.”

Speculation was rife that the April 5 CSK vs Delhi Capitals match played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium was going to be Dhoni’s last. His parents were seen in the stands of the stadium and eagle-eyed viewers spotted his wife, Sakshi, telling their daughter, Ziva, the words “last match”, further adding to the rumours. Dhoni, however, did not announce his retirement. 

In the podcast, Dhoni, speaking about a myriad of topics, stated that cricket gave him the will to win. He said whenever he has played, be it gully cricket or international tournaments, the team never thought of losing. However, cricket also taught him how to handle defeat. He said when a player plays every day, he forms a habit of handling losses and defeats gracefully. 

Here’s what MS Dhoni said in the podcast with Raj Shamani: 

• This is the difference between a great player and a good player. A great player does not repeat the same mistake again and again. And even if the mistake is repeated, there is likely to be a huge gap in duration between the two. The gap between the mistakes in a good player would probably be less. If the player is average or bad, they will make the same mistake over and over.
• Common sense is not common in cricket. Think this is applicable in life as well. 
• Fearlessness is not an attribute I have. I would admit it because I want to be brave, I want to be courageous, I want to assess the threat level, I want to assess the solution. If I were fearless, I would not take all that into consideration. 
• A bad decision by a leader is better than everyone knowing that this is an indecisive captain. First of all, when you make a decision, you don’t know if it is a bad one. As a leader it is important to be honest. We will make mistakes, it is bound to happen. We should take responsibility for that. You might feel bad in the moment but in the long run, they will love and respect you. 
• If you are the same person in front of someone as their back, then it helps a lot.
• Don’t make rules, just do it. It always helps when you are willing to do it. Do it yourself first, everyone else will follow. 
• You have to be a bit careless in life, you cannot take care of everything that’s floating around, social media, people’s view, keeping up with your friends. At the end of the day, you need to be in a healthy and good state of mind. 
• My father used to say, my grandfather used to say, I will say and even my coming generation will say it – there is no substitute for hard work. People might say it differently. They might say often a lazy person finds the best way of doing the job with the least amount of effort but that, for him, is also hard work. 
• It is good to compare but we often compare for the sake of comparing – before the match, after the match, on social media. 
• I am the perfect recipe of hard work and the assistance of a lot of people, including my parents, my teachers, the people I started properly playing leather ball cricket with, my first summer camp, all of tennis ball cricket. 
• Someone gave me an opportunity here and someone gave me an opportunity there. There’s not big or small opportunities because they were all very important. I am grateful to a lot of people.