'Stop the game!' - Ravi Shastri on how MS Dhoni's football love left him enraged once

It has been seen on various occasions that former Indian skipper MS Dhoni loves the game of football way too much. In fact, he has been mostly seen indulging in football sessions before matches and also plays various football games with celebrities for charity. Talking in the same line of context, former India head coach Ravi Shastri narrated one story where MS’ love for the game literally made the coach furious.

Shastri recalled an Asia Cup final game against Pakistan, where Dhoni was just playing football here and there, skidding through dew on the ground minutes before the toss. The former coach added that he hadn’t shouted that loudly ever in his life and yelled at him to stop the game to avoid a potential injury.

I have never yelled like that in my life: Ravi Shastri

“He loves it. And the intensity, you know, with which he plays, it scares you from the outside. You feel hope he doesn’t get injured. I remember in the Asia Cup final, there was dew and went skidding five minutes before toss. I have never yelled like that in my life. ‘Stop the game!’ I said something like that. You don’t want to lose your main player in a game against Pakistan. But to get him out and leave the football that is impossible,” said Shastri while speaking on Star Sports.

Talking of Dhoni in current times, he is up with his franchise Chennai Super Kings as a regular player as he stepped down from the captaincy role before the commencement of the season. While Ravindra Jadeja stands to be the new skipper, CSK is having a horrendous time so far in the 15^th season of the IPL. They have lost all (4) their games till now and it has happened for the first time in IPL’s history that the Yellow Army has lost all their four opening games.

CSK will next be playing against RCB on April 12 and it remains to be seen if they will be able to get the first points on the table.