'He has brought the best out of many players': Ambati Rayudu on MS Dhoni's captaincy

It is not secret that MS Dhoni is one of the most successful captains in cricket, be it any format for any team. Even earlier this year, Dhoni, now 42 years old, led the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to their fifth Indian Premier League (IPL) title, beating Gujarat Titans (GT) in the final in Ahmedabad.  Ambati Rayudu has been Dhoni’s longtime teammate not just in India colours, but also CSK, and recently, Rayudu had encouraging words on the legacy of the former India captain.

“I mean see everybody knows that he has brought the best out the best in so many players and across formats, even he has brought out the best in many foreigners that have played for CSK. I think he has it in him,” Rayudu said on The Ranveer Show podcast.

“I don’t even know how to express it because he is either blessed or he has cultivated it over so many years of playing the sport. But many times I wonder why is he doing something which I wouldn’t think is appropriate.

“But end of the day, results show best that he was right and he’s right 99.9 percent of the times, that shows he knows what he is doing and he has done it for such a long time and so successfully that I don’t think anybody in Indian cricket are in a position to question his decisions now because he’s been so successful,” added the 38-year-old.

Rayudu further described Dhoni’s leadership style, saying that he doesn’t shout just for the sake of shouting. Apart from the five IPL titles, MS Dhoni has also led CSK to two Champions League titles, in 2011, and in 2014, the last time the tournament was held before being defunct.

“Of course, it doesn’t matter. He is our leader so I mean he doesn’t shout just for the sake of shouting. But he will tell them subtly that this is what is expected types,” said Rayudu.