MS Dhoni, famously dubbed ‘Captain Cool’, had his moments of fire like any other human being. Known for his composure, the usually unflappable Dhoni didn’t shy away from showing his anger when situations spiralled out of control — be it with his own teammates or the opposition. Former India batsman Ambati Rayudu described an instance in which Dhoni handed him an ultimatum after becoming agitated by his outbursts during IPL 2019.
It was a straightforward but forceful message: keep your temper in check and concentrate on your batting. Rayudu's former IPL team, the Chennai Super Kings, which Dhoni still plays for, could not afford to lose any more Fair Play points due to the player's conduct.
Rayudu, who amassed 1932 runs for CSK in 90 games from 2018 to 2023, claimed that Dhoni would frequently criticize him for his erratic behavior and compare him to a cat on a hot tin roof. Rayudu stated on "Cheeky Singles" that "Mahi bhai would sometimes tell me — just like a tin roof heats up quickly, I also tend to lose my cool quickly."
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The former Indian batsman claimed that if he complained about a non-wide call, Dhoni would become irritated and tell him to keep his hands down. “We would point out to the umpire that a delivery was wide or a no-ball, and he would always tell me, ‘Just focus on batting, don’t raise your hand. I don’t want to lose Fair Play points because of you’," Rayudu added.
However, Rayudu quickly made fun of the renowned captain by pointing out that CSK had lost points that year due to Dhoni's entry into the ground while asking for a no-ball. "Interestingly, that same year, he himself walked onto the field — not because of me, but because we were losing.”
The incident took place a league encounter between CSK and Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur. Ben Stokes bowled what was initially deemed a no-ball with only eight runs needed from the last three deliveries. After the umpire overturned the call, Dhoni protested by marching onto the field to contest the ruling. Due to the incident, Dhoni was fined half of his match fees.
That year CSK finished sixth in the Fair Play standings.
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