MS Dhoni takes suggestions from Faf du Plessis in IPL, their discussion goes on for hours: Ruturaj Gaikwad

MS Dhoni is indeed one of the finest captains to have ever stepped onto the cricket field, and the number of trophies in his cabinet speaks volumes of his prowess. His ability to read the game and make strategies is second to none, and many experts worldwide have hailed the wicketkeeper-batsman’s leadership prowess. With Dhoni having such a sharp cricket mind, many would reckon he doesn’t need any help while making plans or strategies.

However, that’s really not the case. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener Ruturaj Gaikwad revealed that Dhoni often approaches Faf du Plessis for suggestions in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Dhoni and Du Plessis have been sharing CSK’s dressing room since 2011 and are also known to share a great bond. Moreover, the South African dasher has led the Proteas side across all formats, and his leadership record is also impressive.

Dhoni is indeed aware of this fact, and hence, he doesn’t hesitate to take suggestions from the veteran cricketer. Ruturaj even mentioned that the duo sometimes spends hours discussing the plans.

MS Dhoni and Faf du Plessis respect each other a lot: Ruturaj Gaikwad

“Their bond is very good because they both respect each other a lot. Often they have discussions after the match where Faf reaches out to MS Dhoni with suggestions. Even at this stage [of their careers], they have very good discussions,” Gaikwad told India TV.

“It’s not like they discuss for 5-10 minutes, their talks go for an hour or even 2 hours sometimes. They also have discussions every day in practice. A lot of times, even Mahi bhai reaches out to Faf during the match to ask for his advice,” he added.

Calmness is one common aspect in Dhoni and Du Plessis’ leadership styles. Hence, the two are able to connect and CSK gets the profit. At the time of IPL 2021 suspension due to the COVID-19 virus, the three-time champions were second in the team standings with five wins in seven games.

Du Plessis was in phenomenal touch for the Yellow Army as he scored 320 runs in the seven matches in the now-postponed tournament. Although Dhoni didn’t have such a stellar campaign with the bat, his leadership and wicket-keeping prowess proved beneficial for CSK.