Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) head coach Justin Langer expressed his astonishment at the hero worship for MS Dhoni during the home game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2024. As Dhoni might be playing his final IPL season, fans across the country packed stadiums, both home and away, chanting his name and wearing his No. 7 jersey.
During the match at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, the 42-year-old MS Dhoni scored 28 runs off nine balls, hitting three boundaries and two sixes. Speaking on BBC Sport’s podcast “Stumped,” Justin Langer expressed his amazement at the MS Dhoni phenomenon in India.
“It’s extraordinary. I heard about it first; then we played them [CSK] twice. They came to Lucknow, and our capacity crowd [in Ekana Stadium] is about 50,000, and honestly, there would have been 48,000 MS Dhoni number seven shirts.”
“I couldn’t believe it, and then we went to CSK, and there wasn’t 98%; there was 100%. And it’s unbelievable. The hero worship in India is unbelievable,” said Langer. “And look, I felt it when we played in India before as a player, particularly with Sachin Tendulkar. Then, when I was coaching with [Australia], Virat Kohli, and MS Dhoni, But when you get over there, it’s unbelievable.”
To Langer’s delight, LSG triumphed over CSK in both encounters this season, winning by eight and six wickets, respectively. Despite these victories, LSG did not qualify for the playoffs for the first time in their three-season history.
“I also witnessed the other side, as Rohit Sharma is a major hero in India, being the national team captain”- Justin Langar
Justin Langer observed that Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya experienced the downside of hero worship in India during IPL 2024. Pandya, who took over as captain from fan-favourite Rohit Sharma before this season, was booed by franchise fans nationwide.
“And I saw the flip side of it as well because Rohit Sharma is a huge hero in India as India captain. And what happened with Mumbai Indians this year… Hardik Pandya took over as the captain from Rohit Sharma. The much-loved Rohit Sharma. And it was really sad to watch.”
“You know, he got booed every game by the Indian crowds. He’s the vice-captain of the Indian T20I squad. So, I saw both sides of it. I learned this from Jonty Rhodes and Morne Morkel, who’d been to the IPL before. Rather than getting upset by it, go with the flow.”
The lack of unity resulting from the change in captaincy led to MI finishing at the bottom of the table in IPL 2024, managing only four wins in 14 matches. Before joining MI, Hardik successfully captained Gujarat Titans (GT) to a title and a runner-up position in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
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