Top 11 Players who credited their success to MS Dhoni

The former Indian skipper MS Dhoni is undoubtedly a legend of the game. With all the ICC major trophies under his name and a tag of being the best finisher, MS Dhoni has had a calming impact on the players he has played with. He has led the Indian side since 2007 and also the IPL team Chennai Super Kings since the first season. He has had a variety of players under him, from international stars to raw domestic talents and like they say with his ‘Midas touch’ has turned them into gold. While one might expect this list to be dominated by Indian players, it is certainly a visual treat to know that even the overseas players have had their learning curves while playing with MS Dhoni. Here are 11 players who credited MS Dhoni for their success: 1. Ravichandran Ashwin: Ravi Ashwin. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL) Team India’s ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has never been shy of showing his support to MS Dhoni. Ashwin, ever since his early days in international cricket, has been all praises for the captain cool. He maintains that it is Dhoni’s calm influence and the faith that he showed in him has paid rich dividends for the off-spinner. Ashwin also owed his success to Dhoni after he had a successful run with the bat and the all against touring West Indies in 2011/12. Ashwin went a step way too ahead quoting that if MS Dhoni would ask him to die on the field, he would go on and do it! Now that is some serious influence! 2. Gautam Gambhir: Gautam Gambhir (Twitter) Indian opener, Gautam Gambhir, when he was at the prime of his career, had credited his success to the skipper. He emphasized on the fact that the confidence that Dhoni showed in him made him feel secure in the team. “I give the captain a lot of credit he has provided me and the other players a lot of confidence and I want to keep on improving,” Gambhir quoted in a press event way back in 2007-08 after India lifted the inaugural World T20. 3. Ravindra Jadeja: dhoni and jadeja ( Photo source :IPL ) Another Indian teammate and a fellow Chennai Super Kings player, Ravindra Jadeja, believes that it is MS Dhoni’s impact that he has become a mature player. Jadeja once quoted, “If you want to learn batting, bat with MS Dhoni”. Jadeja, after being dropped from Indian side in 2014, found right support in Dhoni, who showed full faith in him during the IPL 2015. No wonder Jadeja soon made his comeback against visiting South Africans later in the year to be the second leading wicket taker of the tour. 4. Jason Holder: Jason Holder. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images) The Windies skipper Jason Holder left his first imprint in the IPL, before playing for the West Indies and then went on to lead the national team. “MS is an influential figure. In true sense, he is a leader and I found that during my stint with Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. As a captain, I have always looked upto MS’s leadership qualities for inspiration,” quoted Jason Holder prior to the ICC World Cup 2015. “The manner in which Dhoni handles pressure is exceptional. That is the reason he has achieved so much while leading a team with players from different countries. There is so much to learn from him,” he added. 5. Ishant Sharma: (Photo by Getty Images) While failing to make many appearances for India since June 2014, Ishant Sharma was out of sorts and looked for support on and off the field to get back to confident ways. India pacer in an interview with a daily spoke about the kind of support skipper MS Dhoni gave him when he was down and out after missing the 2015 World Cup due to a knee injury. “Mahi Bhai (MS Dhoni) handled me very well at a time when I was emotionally down. You want to be a part of such a team.If captains like Mahibhai tell you that you have to jump from the 24th floor, you would readily do that without thinking even once. Mahi Bhai helped me a great deal to cope with the disappointment,” were the words of the lanky paceman. 6. Mohammed Shami: Mohammed Shami. (Photo Source : Getty Images) The find of the last year and a half, Mohammed Shami credited all his success at the highest level to MS Dhoni, during his successful run in the ICC World Cup 2015. Shami also said that MS Dhoni’s captaincy helped him feel comfortable at the highest level. “I have played all the formats of the game under his captaincy. I have made all my debuts under his captaincy. I like the way he handles the team and handles me as a bowler.” “I am always free and I have never been tensed when he has captained the side. He is not someone who demands certain things from me. He is someone who has always told me about my mistakes and asked me not to repeat them in the future.” And obviously enough, he cited the cool side of Dhoni’s captaincy when he quoted “He (Dhoni) never gets angry. He will tell you things very calmly and handles the situation well which helps a bowler.” 7. Faf du Plessis: Faf du Plessis. (Photo Source: Twitter) The South African skipper, Faf du Plessis, didn’t shy away from admitting that he loves to take a leaf or two from MS Dhoni’s leadership book while leading South Africa. Prior to the South African tour to India in 2015, du Plessis quoted, “I always ask him (Dhoni), how is he so cool. I can say two things about Dhoni. I have been fortunate to have played under him and I have huge amount of respect for him. Secondly I know what he brings to the table. He is a calm captain and knows how to handle pressure situations. You can learn to be your own man,” du Plessis said as he spoke about the kind of influence that the former Indian skipper has had on him during his time at the Chennai Super Kings. Du Plessis says that he learnt a lot from Dhoni during his IPL stint with the CSK. 8. Pawan Negi: (Photo Source: Twitter) Pawan Negi made the headlines when he became the highest bid among the uncapped players in the IPL 2016 Auctions. Negi was soon picked up in India’s squad for the World T20. In such moment of delight, the all-rounder who played under MSD for Chennai Super Kings, was quick to credit his success to Dhoni. “He taught me a lot in terms of reading the match situation and playing accordingly. I have been fortunate to bat with him in the 2015 IPL, and his guidance from the other end led to my good performance with the bat,” Negi quoted after his selection in Indian team. “Even when I bowled he kept telling me how to read the batsman and match situation. As a young bowler you sometimes lose your confidence when you go for runs. But Dhoni Bhai would encourage me during those times,” he added. 9. Dwayne Bravo: MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo. (Photo Source: Twitter) Yet another Chennai Super Kings player, Dwayne Bravo, confessed that all his leadership skills developed due to Dhoni’s influence. He was direct in saying that his success as a death bowler is due to Dhoni. Death bowling, where bowlers find it hard to even contain the batsmen, let alone take wickets, the West Indian has succeeded. The secret, he admits, is bowling in the nets to the man who he calls “the best in the business” – MS Dhoni.“I practice with MS. I try to contain him in the nets. If I can contain him, I can contain anyone,” explained Bravo in an interview. 10. Brendon McCullum: The former New Zealand all-rounder Brendon McCullum, who played alongside MS Dhoni in the IPL, says if a leader has to be picked among many captains, it has to be MSD. When asked about how he found success in Indian conditions, scoring two IPL tons, McCullum said it was more of mental strength than the physical power that he would accredit the success to. “When I play for CSK, I try to learn from how MS goes about his work and enjoy not having to take up the responsibility myself,” said McCullum. 11. Jasprit Bumrah: (Photo Source: Twitter) The latest bowling sensation of India, Jasprit Bumrah, confessed that all the success that he has got is largely due to the support he has got from skipper Dhoni. When asked about Dhoni’s role in his career, Bumrah said, “Dhoni bhaiya has been really helpful to me. His guidance was important for me as a youngster because it was my first tour. So you know coming up the ranks, if the captain is backing you, you get a chance to express yourself in such a big field. So his backing was very important and he told me one thing…to treat it as a normal domestic game, then the pressure would be less on me to perform. That advice helped me quite a lot. I think his role was very important in the success which I got in Australia.”

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Top 11 Players who credited their success to MS Dhoni

He has had a variety of players under him, from international stars to raw domestic talents and like they say with his 'Midas touch' has turned them into gold.

10. Brendon McCullum:

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