Once Dhoni believes in you then that’s it, if he doesn’t then even God can’t help, reveals S Badrinath

Once Dhoni believes in you then that’s it, if he doesn’t then even God can’t help, reveals S Badrinath

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Shedding light on MS Dhoni’s mindset as a captain, S Badrinath stated that once he believes in a player he sticks to it but if he doesn’t then even God can’t help change it. Badrinath, who retired from all forms of cricket in 2018, played under MS Dhoni in the 2011 edition of the IPL.

Having amassed 396 runs averaging 56.57 in 16 games during the 2011 edition of the Indian Premier League, S Badrinath earned the name of "Mr Dependable" in the Chennai Super Kings squad. Badrinath, who made his India debut after his stint with CSK, first played under the captaincy of the then India captain MS Dhoni in the marquee T20 league.

Giving his insights into the sort of leader Dhoni is, the former India batsman revealed how Dhoni would go the extra mile in supporting a player if he has the belief in him. However, Dhoni would not change his mind even if God asked him to when he believed that the player isn't good enough.

“Dhoni always felt that roles are very important, and most of the time, mine was to get the team out of tough situations. My role was there in the middle order. The biggest strength of Dhoni is that he gives players that extra chance. If Dhoni believes Badri is good, that’s it. Badri is there. Once he believes it’s right, he sticks to the process. ‘I will give him chances, let him prove himself.’ Similarly, if he believes you are not good enough, even god cannot help you. He has his own mindset and sticks to it no matter what,” Badrinath told Hindustan Times. 

While CSK are the second-most successful franchise in the IPL, their camaraderie and player loyalty of the franchise has been hailed by many. Speaking of the franchise, Badrinath admitted that the atmosphere within the team never changed, no matter if the players end up winning or losing the matches.

“Irrespective of how we’d performed, the owners treated us the same. Plus, we always had an amazing camaraderie and team environment… our get togethers, the bosses would always be like ‘we know you’re a champion side’. We had MS Dhoni as our captain so it flowed from the top to Dhoni and to the team,” Badrinath added.

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