Chennai: Former India batter Ambati Rayudu says the phenomenal support Mahendra Singh Dhoni enjoys from the CSK fans has gradually morphed into an unhealthy obsession which is daunting for other batters to handle as the crowd is always anticipating their early dismissal so that they can see their ‘Thala’ bat.
Rayudu said the fans’ support is first for Dhoni and then for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and probably in future it may hurt the team’s branding which has always revolved around one man.
“It is quite daunting if you’re a newcomer. It’s quite loud. The support is phenomenal. But, as you go on and play, then you realise they are MS Dhoni fans before they are CSK fans,” Rayudu told ESPNcricinfo.
“It is quite evident, and rightly so, because that’s the way the team has been set up and built over the years. He’s rightly named Thala (leader) and he has been calling the shots in CSK, and it’s come to a stage where people are madly in awe and in love of what he’s done for CSK.”
The 43-year-old Dhoni, who retired from international cricket in 2020, began batting lower down the order in the IPL and also quit captaincy last year to facilitate a smooth transition.
He comes to bat at either No. 7 or 8, and gets hardly 10-15 balls in a match, curtailing his crease time considerably.
Since he does not bat for a long time, the fans go berserk when the charismatic former India captain starts his walk to the crease. Rayudu said it’s been happening for quite a few years now, and several players have felt it. “...but internally, a lot of people used to feel that the crowd even though we also love MS Dhoni, and they also love MS Dhoni and we want to see him bat, but sometimes when you, as an individual, are going out to bat they are shouting from the crowd to… literally asking you to get out. Or they are anticipating or expecting you to get out. So it is quite strange, and I don’t think it actually serves the game well,” he said.