Legendary wicketkeeper-batter and former India skipper MS Dhoni, who has garnered praise from everyone for his calm, cool composure and his masterclass leading skills, said a captain leads by example of how they “walk and talk” in the moment of defeat and act of that time “earn the respect.” The 42-year-old is one of the most decorated captains in the history of cricket and the first-ever to win all the ICC white-ball trophies, the ICC T20 World Cup (2007), ICC Cricket World Cup (2011) and ICC Champions Trophy (2013) as a skipper. Dhoni also known as ‘captain cool’ has also led CSK to five IPL and two Champions League T20 (CLT20) titles.

“You lead by example through ups and downs because when you are successful it’s very easy to say this is what we do but when times are tough is the real-time and you have to walk that talk – in those moments if you are still the same, that time you earn the respect,” MS Dhoni said in a video posted by Dubai Eye 103.8 YouTube channel.

Throughout the season, Dhoni has amassed 161 runs in 11 innings of 14 matches at a strike rate of 220.54 and an average of 53.67.

“The important thing is that you need to earn the respect of the people you are leading. You cannot command or demand respect, it has to be earned. I may have a position in the institution and it needs to be respected. But I as an individual, sitting on that chair, need to earn that respect. I can’t be saying you need to respect me because I’m sitting on this chair,” he added.

Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) chances of making the playoffs were dashed on Saturday night after they lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match. During the match, Dhoni batted for about four overs and amassed 25 runs at a strike rate of 192.31.

After CSK endured a heart-breaking loss, all eyes and cameras were focused on Dhoni, patiently waiting for him to drop a hint about his future. But the veteran wicketkeeper was tight-lipped around his future which left the fans anticipating his future.

On the other hand, since being signed by the Chennai Super Kings in 2008, MS Dhoni’s name has been synonymous with the team. The renowned wicketkeeper-batter, in his capacity as captain, was essential to the team’s and the franchise’s overall success.

With five Indian Premier League (IPL) titles, Dhoni and former Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma are tied for the most successful captaincy in league history. The seasoned batter-wicketkeeper handed the captaincy baton to Ruturaj Gaikwad prior to the IPL 2024.