MS Dhoni is synonymous with the Chennai Super Kings but he continued to play for the Rising Pune Supergiant when the team was banned from the Indian Premier League (IPL) between 2016 and 2017. Australian cricketer Steve Smith was named captain for the 2017 season and Dhoni played under his leadership, an experience Smith himself described as “daunting”. Former Australia all-rounder Dan Christian, who also played for the team during this period, recently opened up about the two cricketers’ common equation and how Dhoni would just walk out to bat – sometimes without even announcing captain Steve Smith or coach Stephen Fleming about his plans.

“If we lose a wicket, maybe in the 12-13 overs, Stokes or me or someone else should be next. Dhoni gets up, puts on his gear and just goes. He doesn’t Would tell anyone. Coach Smith or Fleming wouldn’t do anything,” Christian saidLiuyu Podcast.

Earlier, Smith recalled his experience of working with Dhoni.

“Certainly, you know he’s accomplished so much over such a long time, he’s definitely going to be one of the best leaders in the sport. So, you know, when I got the call saying they wanted me Being captain, it was a little bit daunting. But that season, MSD was great. You know, he helped in any way, and, he’s a great guy. It was a great experience to be able to be a player like that,” Smith told Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the IPL, is captain but also very feared.

“If we had lost a wicket in the 12-13 overs, maybe Stokes, me or someone else should have gone to the next one. Dhoni stood up, put on his gear and just went like that. He Won’t tell anyone. It’s not like Coach Smith or Fleming would have done anything”: Dan Christianpic.twitter.com/A6eIcTxIMQ

—(@StanMSD) April 8, 2024

Smith also spoke about how he felt when he was chosen as the captain of the RPS team and what it was like to lead a team that also had MS Dhoni, saying: “Yeah, I, I didn’t really know what to do. What to do.” Initially, you know, MS captained every team he played for, obviously throughout the IPL in Chennai, I should say every season. But yeah, when they came and asked me, I was kind of shocked first and then I didn’t really know what to say. It’s like, have you talked to MS about this? This was a little weird to me, but after we worked out all the kinks, MS was awesome. And the way he helped me and helped me coach this team that year was just incredible. Yes, I can’t thank him enough. “

Recalling what it was like to work with Dhoni on the field, Smith said: “Well, that was a long time ago, but, yes, keep an eye on what’s going on on the field. He’s someone I always bounce ideas off of. .You know, behind stumps, he has a very, very good view of the game. He understands the angles of the game very well, obviously playing in India as well, you know, this is his home and he understands the conditions as well as anyone. So, you know, I would be foolish if I didn’t try to get as much knowledge out of him as possible in the middle. Yeah, he was very helpful and certainly helped us achieve our goals for the year.”

Smith further spoke about what he has learned and emulated from Dhoni over the years, saying: “I think the calmness that Dhoni has shown, we have seen that throughout his career, how calm he is. It didn’t look like he was rattled by any emotion or anything like that. That’s certainly what I felt not only during that season, but in previous years watching him do his thing, how calm and relaxed he was. And You know, sometimes I get really agitated and stuff like that. So you know, I have to try to stay calm and cool. Yeah, that’s definitely something I learned from MS. ”