Michael Hussey, the former Australian cricketer and CSK player, dropped a bombshell when he revealed the exceptional leadership qualities of legendary captain MS Dhoni.
Michael Hussey really highlighted how MS Dhoni has this knack for nurturing champion players and crafting winning teams, which has been key to their consistent success over the years.
Remember, Hussey was part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squad when Dhoni was at the helm, clinching the IPL trophy with them in 2010 and 2011. These days, he’s coaching the batting lineup for the same franchise in the IPL.
Now, even though Hussey passed on the captaincy baton to Ruturaj Gaikwad before this season’s IPL kicked off, Dhoni’s still a crucial player for the five-time champions. Many reckon this might be his swan song in the T20 league.
CSK hit back strongly in IPL 2024, bouncing back from two straight losses with a solid seven-wicket win over KKR. Ravindra Jadeja stole the show with a brilliant bowling display, bagging three wickets for just 18 runs and snagging the Player of the Match title.
During the latest chat on Ravichandran Ashwin’s KuttiStories YouTube series, Hussey spilled the beans on Dhoni’s role in creating a winning team vibe. He stressed how trust and sticking with a consistent lineup are major factors in shaping a successful squad.
“I think he’s got a great feel for what it takes to create a winning environment and put a team together that will, in the long term, have success,” said Hussey.
“Again, there’s that trust in the players…We’ve hardly changed the team over the years. There’s been that continuity. He looks for good players to play that particular role, but he also looks for good people. And once he has got those good people, he will really back them to the hilt,” he added.
Michael Hussey highlighted how MS Dhoni’s leadership was demonstrated through his support for Shane Watson during his time with Chennai. According to Hussey, Dhoni’s encouragement played a crucial role in the team clinching the title in 2018. Additionally, despite a close one-run defeat in the final in 2019, Dhoni’s guidance remained instrumental in the team’s performance.
“Another good example is Shane Watson. For us (Australia) he had a season where he could not score runs. But Dhoni just said ‘no, we are sticking with him, he will come good’. And sure enough, he came good when we made the playoffs. He made two big scores and we fell one run short of winning the title that year,” Hussey further added.
In 2018, Dhoni made a smart move by promoting Watson to the opening slot. He planned to make the most of the early overs when the field restrictions were in place. This gave Watson the green light to go all out from the get-go, and it worked wonders for CSK. Watson ended up smashing 555 runs in 15 matches, showcasing just how effective this strategic tweak was for the team. That year, Chennai Super Kings lifted the IPL trophy, defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final with a convincing eight-wicket victory. The hero of the match was undoubtedly Shane Watson, whose incredible unbeaten knock of 117 runs off just 57 balls steered Chennai to glory at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
