India’s All Rounder Ravindra Jadeja Reveals MS Dhoni Had A Massive Impact On His Cricket Career; Reveals, ‘He was Always Guiding Me’

Though a wonderful tribute for one of India’s all-time terrific cricketers and most productive captains, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, is not uncommon, it still makes for an interesting read when a current top-notch international cricketer like Ravindra Jadeja, who was persistently backed in the early days of his career by the former Indian skipper, is mentioned.

Furthermore, particularly now that the renowned skipper is constrained to playing just franchise cricket in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for a year for the three-time IPL winner Chennai Super Kings (CSK), a reflection of the history he has carved out in the past acts as a fantastic motivator going ahead.

Ahead of the second half of the IPL 2021, which begins on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), CSK’s top-ranked all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who has excelled for the team over many seasons in the IPL, recalled how MSD supported a younger ‘Jaddu’ and helped him mature as a serious cricketer in all three formats of the gentleman’s game.

The 32-year-old, now known as ‘Sir Jadeja’ by his supporters, said he misses Dhoni’s influence on the field. MS Dhoni’s last outing in international cricket was in the 2019 ICC World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, when he was the iconic Indian wicketkeeper-batsman.

“Yes, I miss him because he was always pointing me in the proper direction. He would come up to me and tell me that I needed to work harder on a certain component if I wasn’t doing the correct thing on the field. He continues to speak with me, and our friendship dates back 12 years. I miss him a lot.” Ravindra Jadeja shared his thoughts on MS Dhoni with TOI.

Jadeja, who has played under both Virat and MS Dhoni’s leadership in all formats of cricket during his time with Team India, emphasized the significant difference between India’s two most successful captains to date — MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli.

“In terms of captaincy, I believe they are both different (styles). Dhoni bhai is a calm leader, while Virat Kohli is a more aggressive and positive skipper on the field. They each have their distinct leadership styles,” Jadeja came to an end.