'Agar Aaj Bataunga...': MS Dhoni's Tough Love Approach in CSK Explained By Harbhajan Singh

‘Captain Cool’ MS Dhoni is undoubtedly recognized as one of the most iconic captains the game of cricket has ever seen. From international to domestic level, the talisman wicketkeeper has been known to spew wisdom to his players, to bring out the best in him.

And sometimes, the best thing you can do to help someone is to let them figure their own way out of a pickle. That is exactly what Dhoni had done to his CSK compatriot Shardul Thakur, recalled former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh.

Harbhajan, who had a breif tenure with the Chennai Super Kings himself alongside ‘Thala’ Dhoni and Thakur, spoke about a particular moment in time, when Shardul was getting hit for boundaries galore, yet Dhoni refused to say a single word to the bowler.

“I remember a game we were playing for CSK. I was fielding at the short fine leg and MS Dhoni was keeping. Shardul Thakur was bowling and the first ball Kane Williamson hit him down the ground for a boundary. Next ball, same length and Williamson played the same shot. I went to MS and asked him to tell Shardul try and bowl different length,” Harbhajan recalled in a chat with former India Under 19 batter Taruwar Kohli.

But, in the eyes of Dhoni, the best way to help Thakur out was to allow him to find out where he was going wrong by himself, and provide him with the opportunity to rectify it on his own terms.

According to Harbhajan, Dhoni was a believer in the fact that one can’t be spoon-fed answers, and that perhaps personal reflection is a tool that enables one to be the best versions of themselves.

“MS said to me ‘Paaji agar aaj bataunga na, yeh kabhi nahi seekhega (If I will tell him now, then he will never learn). Let him learn by himself’. His thought process was that when Shardul will get hit for boundaries, he will learn it quickly. That was MS Dhoni’s way,” stated Harbhajan.

CSK enjoys a frenized fanbase, and it is easily understandable as to why when players such as Dhoni grace their ranks and bring in success as well as the best out of themselves consistently.