NEW DELHI: Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden believes that MS Dhoni‘s remarkable leadership qualities and selfless attitude make him capable of captaining even the Australian cricket team.
Hayden, who played under Dhoni for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, highlighted Dhoni’s humility and team-first approach as key attributes that set him apart.
“Dhoni is exactly what I was saying before.He can easily sit in an Australian dressing room and easily captain it because he believes that he is not bigger than anyone else. He’ll collect bags, he’ll throw cricket balls. He’s just a very humble individual. And he works hard at the team and not on promoting MS Dhoni,” Hayden said in a conversation with Sports Vikatan.Hayden, who was part of CSK‘s first IPL-winning team, emphasized Dhoni’s ability to galvanize his teammates without seeking the limelight.
“You’ll never hear him telling people how great he is or what he’s achieved. That is MS Dhoni’s X-factor. You look at Australia and go ’25 million people. How did they win the World Cup against us?’ MS Dhoni… he just finds a way to galvanize people together and does it in a way that is nothing about ego, not about self-promotion,” Hayden added.
Since retiring from international cricket in August 2020, Dhoni has continued to lead CSK with distinction, adding two more IPL titles to his name in 2021 and 2023, bringing the team’s total to five. Hayden attributes Dhoni’s enduring popularity and success to his humble beginnings and unwavering focus on the team.
Hayden, who played under Dhoni for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, highlighted Dhoni’s humility and team-first approach as key attributes that set him apart.
“Dhoni is exactly what I was saying before.He can easily sit in an Australian dressing room and easily captain it because he believes that he is not bigger than anyone else. He’ll collect bags, he’ll throw cricket balls. He’s just a very humble individual. And he works hard at the team and not on promoting MS Dhoni,” Hayden said in a conversation with Sports Vikatan.Hayden, who was part of CSK‘s first IPL-winning team, emphasized Dhoni’s ability to galvanize his teammates without seeking the limelight.
“You’ll never hear him telling people how great he is or what he’s achieved. That is MS Dhoni’s X-factor. You look at Australia and go ’25 million people. How did they win the World Cup against us?’ MS Dhoni… he just finds a way to galvanize people together and does it in a way that is nothing about ego, not about self-promotion,” Hayden added.
Since retiring from international cricket in August 2020, Dhoni has continued to lead CSK with distinction, adding two more IPL titles to his name in 2021 and 2023, bringing the team’s total to five. Hayden attributes Dhoni’s enduring popularity and success to his humble beginnings and unwavering focus on the team.
“Coming from a small village and finding a way to the hearts of India and hearts of Chennai in particular. Thala will remain the iconic leader of this franchise forever. But to hear him saying how great he is… you don’t even hear from MS Dhoni. And that’s his charm. Team before anyone and everyone loves that,” Hayden mentioned.
Dhoni’s legacy as a captain and player continues to inspire, with his unique blend of humility, leadership, and strategic acumen earning him admiration worldwide.