Subramaniam Badrinath explains the reason for MS Dhoni's success

Former Chennai Super Kings and India player Subramaniam Badrinath's ability to be 'Emotionless' And 'Reactionless' is key to Mahendra Singh Dhoni's key to success.

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According to former team-mate Subramaniam Badrinath, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's ability to be 'Emotionless' and 'Reactionless' are his secrets to success. Badrinath, a pivotal contributor to Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) first two Indian Premier League (IPL) titles under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, talked about how the latter remained emotionless, regardless of whether his team won an IPL title or collapsed embarrassingly. According to the Tamil Nadu native, this was Dhoni's secret to success and was something he tried to learn and adapt himself to.

Badrinath told IANS, "There is one thing that I like and dislike about Dhoni. It is... We would have won a thrilling match. We would have played superbly and won it. He will remain reactionless. He'll take the trophy in hand and give it and go away. Then we would lose matches very poorly. Against RCB [Royaol Challengers Bangalore], we failed to score 120 runs in one match in Chennai. We lost. He will remain emotionless."

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"I'd think in surprise -- what kind of a person is Dhoni? How does he stay calm and reactionless through all ups and downs? That's the thing I like about him, which is the reason for his success. I have learned a lot from him. You can get a lot of clarity by controlling your emotions," added Badrinath.

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"So say, for example, someone is bowling, and I don't like him. Or I wouldn't say I like his school. Inside, you'll feel rage for attacking him when you're batting. That is an emotion. That can lead to a false shot, and you can get out. No, you should not have emotions. It would help if you played the ball, not the bowler," Badrinath reckoned.

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MS Dhoni, also known as 'captain cool' for his ability to remain composed in a pressure situation, has been recognized by many as one of the finest modern-day captains. The 40-year-old World Cup-winning captain was made skipper by CSK again in IPL 2022 after giving up his captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja to start the season. After captaining CSK to a fourth title in IPL 2021, Dhoni had his best year with the bat in three seasons, as he scored 232 runs with an average of 33.2 and a strike rate of 123.4.