MS Dhoni names his cricketing idol, says 'I wanted to play like him but couldn't'

Legendary Indian captain MS Dhoni recently appeared at an event and made notable revelations about an idol of his. In a video shared by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on their social media handles on Thursday, Dhoni revealed that he wanted to play like Indian cricket stalwart Sachin Tendulkar while growing up. However, the CSK captain added that he later realised he had a very different style of playing the game.

Speaking to the audience at the event, Dhoni said, “Growing up when I was your age, I used to watch him play and always thought I wanted to play like him but couldn’t. Inside my heart I always wanted to play like him, he was a cricketing idol growing up”. The former Indian skipper made his international debut for India in 2004, when Tendulkar was the most influential player in the side.

Watch: MS Dhoni speaks about Sachin Tendulkar being his cricketing idol

A look at the bond between MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar

Dhoni played for the India team for years alongside Tendulkar, till the iconic cricketer announced his retirement from the sport. Playing together for the Men In Blue, Dhoni and Tendulkar picked up the ICC ODI World Cup trophy in 2011. While Dhoni captained the team to a ODI World Cup win after 28 years, Tendulkar was the highest run-scorer for India in the tournament with a total of 482 runs at an average of 53.55 in nine games. 

Meanwhile, Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket in 2020 and now plays for CSK in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He led CSK to their fourth IPL title win in 2021 and was last seen playing competitive cricket during the IPL 2022. He scored 232 runs in 14 games for CSK in 2022 with an average of 33.14 after remaining not out on six occasions.

On the other hand, Sachin recently led the India Legends team to a second consecutive title win at the Road Safety World Series. Tendulkar hit 85 runs in six games at an average of 21.25 and the best knock of 40. The iconic cricketer has expressed his admiration for Dhoni in the past on many occasions.