Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder Shreyas Gopal heaped praise on MS Dhoni, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to represent the franchise and share the dressing room with the iconic captain. The 31-year-old revealed that he picked up valuable lessons in leadership and player management from Dhoni, crediting the legendary skipper for his tactical brilliance and composure in high-pressure situations.
Currently captaining the Mangalore Dragons in the 2025 KSCA T20 League, Gopal spoke on the sidelines of the season opener in Mysore on Tuesday (August 26), during an interaction with SportsYaari’s YouTube channel.
“It’s very hard to be MS Dhoni; it’s extremely hard. People think that it’s very easy to be MS Dhoni. There is a lot of fame and people shout [cheer], but to be him, to be so grounded and to be so humble and to be so empathetic, caring is very hard. And you also understand that he’s also a human being. He loves doing very simple and basic things, and that is his greatness.”
“Mainly, it’s basically how to handle a player, how to put a player in a tournament, who to use for the specific over, tactically, there have been so many talks with him. And there’s no one better than him; everyone knows that. So, learning captaincy, learning how to finish matches, just learning how to, the way he deals with his stardom,” he added.
“Want To Stay With CSK Longer”– Shreyas Gopal On IPL 2026 Plans
Shreyas Gopal once again described sharing the Chennai Super Kings dressing room with MS Dhoni as a dream fulfilled. The Karnataka all-rounder expressed his wish to continue with the franchise in IPL 2026 and also urged the 44-year-old legend to extend his playing career for another season. Speaking in the same video, he said:
“To play with Dhoni was a dream for many of us, billions of us maybe. So, I got that chance
last year, and I would love to continue that for another few more years.”
“The more he plays the game, the more it’s beneficial for cricket. And the discussions that we have with him in the dressing room, the inputs we get, it’s just priceless. So, I think I’m extremely grateful to be playing for CSK and playing with and under him” he added.
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