MS Dhoni, India’s legendary captain and a key figure for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), is widely celebrated for his calm demeanor under pressure, earning him the nickname ‘Captain Cool’. However, even Dhoni had his moments of frustration, as revealed by former CSK batter Subramaniam Badrinath. While Dhoni seldom displayed anger on the field, Badrinath shared a rare instance where the former captain lost his temper following a poor team performance.
During a recent interview, Subramaniam Badrinath stated, “He’s (Dhoni) also human. He has lost his cool but never on the field only inside the dressing room. I think he never let the opposition or the crowd or anybody know that he has lost his cool. If at all he does lose his cool, it will happen only inside the dressing room.”
The incident occurred during an IPL match at Chennai’s M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, where CSK faced Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). According to Badrinath, RCB was restricted to a modest score of 110, which seemed easily chaseable. However, CSK had a very bad day with the bat and it suffered a humiliating defeat at their home ground.
Talking about the match, Badrinath stated, “I remember that one match against RCB (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) we played in Chennai. RCB got out to a very meagre score, 110 or something. I think we were trying to chase it but we lost wickets in there, in a hurry and we ended up losing the match where we couldn’t get 110 against RCB in Chepauk.”
Following the match, Dhoni who typically refrains from showing anger on the field expressed his frustration in the dressing room. As Badrinath recounted, Dhoni kicked a water bottle in anger, an unusual display from the usually composed leader. His actions made it clear how disappointed he was with the team’s performance, though he used few words to convey his feelings.
Badrinath further added, “So I remember I got out to a bad shot, I played this lap shot against Anil Kumble and got myself LBW (leg-before-wicket). So he was coming inside the dressing room and I was standing right there. There was a small water bottle in front of me and MS just kicked the bottle right out of the park and we were all trying to avoid eye contact with MS in that dressing room, all of us, we were trying to stay away, steer clear of MS Dhoni.”
Badrinath emphasized that while Dhoni could be visibly upset, he was careful not to show his emotions on the field. Instead, he chose the locker room to express his displeasure, a rare occurrence in Dhoni’s career. Typically, Dhoni would hold team meetings to discuss shortcomings but in this case, his body language alone was enough to communicate his disappointment.
Badrinath said, “He didn’t say anything, there was no team meeting, there was nothing. That’s why I think non-verbal communication is the most powerful form of communication.”
Click here if you wish to watch the video of the interview
Did you know about this rare incident when MS Dhoni got angry?
