Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya refers to MS Dhoni as his ‘dear brother,’ from whom he has gained a lot of learning. In a video clip posted by GT on Twitter prior to the Indian Premier League 2023 playoff match against the Chennai Super Kings in Chennai, Pandya discusses his relationship with the former India captain. Watch the video below. Follow IPL 2023 LIVE update with InsideSport.IN
“A lot of people think Mahi is serious and all that. For me, I crack jokes and I don’t see him as a Mahendra Singh Dhoni. I have learnt a lot of things from him, a lot of positive things not just while watching him, not even much talking,” Pandya said.
“For me, he’s just my dear brother, dear friend who I do pranks with, who I chill out with. I will always be a Mahendra Singh Dhoni fan. You need to be a proper devil to hate him,” he added.
Dhoni has received a warm welcome each time he has entered the field of play in the ongoing IPL season. Fans rushing up to witness the two-time world cup winning captain in action have transformed stadiums, whether at home or away matches, into a sea of yellow. One of the key causes of this is the rumour that Dhoni will retire from playing after the 2023 IPL season. He has not, however, officially confirmed the retirement talks.
Meanwhile, CSK all-rounder Moeen Ali shared what sets MS Dhoni apart from the other IPL captains. “What separates MS from everybody else as captain in many ways is that, say guys have a couple of bad games, especially in the first couple of games, and I think every other team would drop the player or say ‘look you are probably not good enough right now’,” Moeen said in a video posted by CSK.
“And that’s where MS sees things and coaches see things in players. They see the potential and give them chances. Most teams don’t do that. Most teams don’t stick with the players long,” he added.
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