The more MS Dhoni plays the game, the more it’s beneficial for cricket: Shreyas Gopal

Bangalore-born leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal has heaped praise on the Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni. Notably, Gopal was roped in by the CSK franchise at the IPL 2025 Mega Auction for the price of INR 30 Lakh.

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Gopal, who is currently leading Mangalore Dragons in the ongoing Maharaja Trophy 2025 season, has opened up on sharing the dressing room with Dhoni. Interestingly, Gopal didn’t get a chance to make it to the playing XI for CSK in IPL 2025.

Speaking exclusively on SportsYaari’s YouTube channel, Gopal stated that it’s very tough to be MS Dhoni as he loves doing very simple and basic things despite having a lot of fame on and off the field.

“It’s very hard to be MS Dhoni; it’s extremely hard. People think that it’s very easy to be MS Dhoni. There is a lot of fame and people shout [cheer], but to be him, to be so grounded and to be so humble and to be so empathetic, caring is very hard. And you also understand that he’s also a human being. He loves doing very simple and basic things, and that is his greatness," Gopal told SportsYaari's YouTube channel.

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“Mainly, it’s basically how to handle a player, how to put a player in a tournament, who to use for the specific over, tactically, there have been so many talks with him. And there’s no one better than him; everyone knows that. So, learning captaincy, learning how to finish matches, just learning how to, the way he deals with his stardom,” he added.

Despite not getting a chance in the playing XI in IPL 2025, Gopal asserted that he wants to be a part of the franchise for the next season as he wants to pick Dhoni’s brain, which could help him as a cricketer. He also added that the more Dhoni plays, the more it would be beneficial for the game of cricket.

“To play with Dhoni was a dream for many of us, billions of us maybe. So, I got that chance last year, and I would love to continue that for another few more years. The more he plays the game, the more it’s beneficial for cricket. And the discussions that we have with him in the dressing room, the inputs we get, it’s just priceless. So, I think I’m extremely grateful to be playing for CSK and playing with and under him” he concluded.

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