IPL 2020 | Isolation was tough but CSK players made the most out of it, reveals MS Dhoni

While there was anticipation surrounding the curtain-raiser between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, the buzz surrounding the return of MS Dhoni’s return to a cricket field blew everything out of water and people tuned in to the toss just to catch a glimpse of the veteran, who announced his retirement last month. Dhoni got his first move right, winning the toss and opting to bowl first, but it was his words that over a million people were curious to listen to. 

There were no questions surrounding his retirement that were asked by Murali Karthik, but Dhoni, at the toss, however, spoke about the isolation period at the hotel. The veteran said that he endured a tough time in self-isolation but claimed that he and his teammates utilized the period to great effect.

“I think, first of all, we need to applaud the contribution of each and everyone in the squad because it’s a new set of rules that needs to be followed and the first six days of isolation is a very difficult one. What makes it most difficult is that you spend five months with your family - parents, wife, children, all of them around you - and all of a sudden sitting in your room you’re on your own. So that was tough. But I felt each and every individual used that time well and nobody was really disappointed or frustrated. And after that, whatever time we got at the practice facility - the facilities were very good - we made the most out of it. So overall, very good preparation time,” Dhoni said at the toss ahead of his side’s clash versus Mumbai.

Questions were aplenty surrounding Dhoni’s fitness, especially given he’s now 39, but the CSK skipper turned up in great shape at the toss ahead of the opening encounter against Mumbai. Speaking about his fitness, Dhoni revealed that he utilized the lockdown to hit the gym and keep himself in top shape.

“You have the liberty in lockdown to spend some time on yourself. I could not do a lot of physical running but yes, being at home for 4-5 months, the best thing to do was hit the gym as much as possible and maybe look fit.”