MS Dhoni birthday: The question CSK captain 'apparently hates' being asked by journalists

The legendary MS Dhoni celebrated his 39th birthday on Tuesday. The former India captain is one of the most influential personalities Indian cricket has seen. MS Dhoni has taken Indian cricket to new levels and made the Indian team a force to be reckoned with in world cricket. MS Dhoni is the only captain in the world to have all three ICC trophies in his cabinet (2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 Cricket World Cup, 2013 Champions Trophy).

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MS Dhoni birthday: The question that CSK captain absolutely hates being asked

MS Dhoni, who is lovingly called 'Captain Cool' by his fans, is known for his calm and composed behaviour. There aren't many instances when the CSK captain has found himself amidst controversies because of something he has said. With MS Dhoni coming to the fag end of his career, journalists are always behind the 39-year-old, asking him about his retirement. This is one question that the CSK skipper is known to not stand at all, according to the grapevine amongst many Indian mediapersons. However, the veteran stumper has been successfully able to tackle this question with his wit and humour on several occasions.

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One such incident happened after the World Twenty20 semi-final loss in 2016 when an Australian journalist Sam Ferri asked him about retirement. Dhoni then called the journalist onto the podium and asked him if he (Dhoni) was fit, to which Ferris nodded in the affirmative. Further, the former Indian skipper asked the journalist whether he thought he could survive till the 2019 World Cup. The journalist again replied with a yes.

MS Dhoni then said that he has got his answer and sent him back, with a conclusion that if the scribe was an Indian, he would have asked him or her whether they had a brother or relative who is a wicketkeeper-batsman good enough to replace him in the Indian team.

Dhoni's relation with journalists has been a strange one to say the least, considering when he was India's captain. A renowned journalist, in his book Democracy's XI, once wrote that MS Dhoni's parents do not indulge in media conversations after his house was attacked due to the 2007 World Cup debacle. In the initial phase of his career, Dhoni used to give interviews. On another occasion, he gave an interview to ESPNcricinfo in which he spoke about managing senior cricketers in the team. Different media outlets twisted MS Dhoni's words and presented them in a different light, which made MS Dhoni upset and from then on, he did not give any exclusive interviews to the media. It is also the reason why Dhoni does not appear on TV shows either, despite fans requesting many anchors who know him or can contact him, to get him on board.

Here's the video of MS Dhoni calmly grilling the Australian journalist

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MS Dhoni retirement

MS Dhoni retirement has been a trending topic in India for a long time now. The CSK captain has been on a sabbatical since the end of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in England where India were knocked out by New Zealand in the semi-final. MS Dhoni was supposed to make a comeback in the IPL 2020 where he was set to lead Chennai Super Kings (CSK) but the tournament was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. The cash-rich league was considered as a crucial competition to bring MS Dhoni back into the scheme of things. 

MS Dhoni's performance in the IPL 2020 would also have decided if he made it to the Indian team for the T20 World Cup that is supposed to be played in Australia later this year. There is no clear picture regarding the 38-year old's future with the Indian team. It will be interesting to see how Dhoni's India career pans out if the IPL 2020 is called off.

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