Love having Dhoni in dressing room as he brings sense of calm, says KL Rahul

Picking Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s brain is on KL Rahul’s checklist for the next few weeks as he wants to utilise every bit of advice from Team India’s mentor, who, according to the opener, always instils a sense of calm into the dressing room.

Rahul, who is all set to open with Rohit Sharma in the T20 World Cup where India will start against Pakistan on Sunday, said that there couldn’t have been a better “mentor” than Dhoni in what promises to be a tough journey.

Also read: The ‘Passive Voice’: Will Team India mentorship help Dhoni set CSK dug-out template in coming years?

“Obviously, MS Dhoni (being) back with the team feels amazing because we have played under him and we have looked towards him as a mentor even when he was our captain,” Rahul, who scored a fine half-century in the warm-up game against England, said during a Clubhouse session on 10 years of Red Bull Campus Cricket.

Dhoni has often been described as an emotion by the observers and fans of the game, an emotion that binds everyone and above all, the Indian dressing room.

Rahul endorsed this view, describing him as the man everyone looks up to.

“We loved having him in the dressing room when he was the captain. We loved the calmness. We have all looked up to him to help us out, to have him here is amazing.

“This gives us a sense of calmness, I have enjoyed spending time with him in the first two to three days and it has been a lot of fun. Looking forward to chewing his brain about cricket, captaincy and all things cricket,” he added.

Dhoni has recently led Chennai Super Kings to a fourth IPL title and there is a chance that he would come back one last time in 2022 and play in front of his home crowd at the Chepauk.

“None of us are sure that IPL 2021 final was his last game,” Rahul said.

Rahul feels that despite on the other side of 40, the former skipper can hit the farthest sixes beating some of the muscular youngsters.

“I think Dhoni can give any of us stiff competition, he definitely is a guy who can hit the ball farthest, he is very strong and he is good (while running) between the wickets. He looks the fittest, it is good fun to have him,” Rahul added.