Dubai: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the man synonymous with Chennai Super Kings, cannot wait for the team to make a comeback in Indian Premier League (IPL) after a ban of two years next season.
“We have seen the ups and downs, but what is remarkable has been the support of the fans over here,” the former Indian captain said on the eve of the launch of India Cements-Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL).
Even though ‘MSD’ did not really have a break from the IPL — sporting the Pune Supergiants shirt these two years — he makes no bones about where his heart lies.
“For me to pick one or two instances as my favourite moments in a CSK shirt will be tough. Overall when we are down and we needed the crowd support, it was always there. Even in games where opponents needed two runs to win in four balls, the crowd support was amazing.
“Overall, we had a very pleasant eight years with the team and hopefully it will go on for another eight years and more,” he told the TNPL website.
How did he train the youngsters to prepare for a league like the India Cements Ltd TNPL?
“Now that this is the second season of the league, last season they’d have got a glimpse of what they will encounter. I do not see the TNPL as a district league. The franchise format is that of districts, but the best of players of Tamil Nadu play together under circumstances that are very different, in front of people who are coming to watch cricket.
“Last year, all the games got a lot of attendance. Cricket will remain the same, but the pressure of playing in front of people, in front of home crowd and away crowd will change. They now know the challenges and a lot of players would have prepared according to the demands of the game. That is why I feel this season will be even more interesting and the kind of buzz that was created last season will increase.”.
Now 35, Dhoni may be at the twilight of his international career, but his lightning quick reflexes behind the stumps in a tournament as recent as the ICC Champions Trophy is still fresh in memory. Asked how he keeps himself fit, Dhoni said: “Fitness is a major part of any sport today whether it is skill-oriented or endurance-oriented sport. It is the food that is more important than the training; so if you have right kind of food and supplement it with the training, you can get much more out of yourself, both in the physical and mental aspects.
“Enjoying life is important, but as an athlete you need to know what are the things that you cannot do that your brother or sister can. Food intake is the main thing apart from training. These days, the players get educated about what they need to do. Most of the players learn from the seniors and there will be physios to assist you. There is a lot of guidance by fellow cricketers and that is why I feel even in TNPL when lot of players would have gone back to their respective districts, they would have done a lot of fitness work to realise their fitness needs to be at par.”
