CSK Spinner Reveals Why Being Dhoni Is Hard And It’s Not About His Sporting Skills

MS Dhoni and the tales of his greatness are not very hard to find. You may meet any cricketer who has played with him, and he will tell you one or two things about Dhoni, the great sportsman, very easily. However, his Chennai Super Kings (CSK) spinner rated him not only as a true sportsman, but also as a great human being, saying that being Dhoni is not an easy job. 

“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,” Shreyas Gopal, who was bought by the Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction for INR 30 Lakh, was quoted By Indian Express, as saying to Sports Yaari. 

“You also understand that he’s also a human being. He loves doing very simple and basic things, and that is his greatness,” added the 31-year-old. 

Talking about his dream coming true, Gopal, who has been an IPL journeyman, having played for Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, said that he always wanted to play alongside Dhoni, having made his First-Class debut in 2013 as a 19-year-old. 

“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,” said the leg-spinner.  

Throwing light on whether Dhoni, aged 44 already, should continue to play IPL or not, Gopal said, “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 input we get, it’s just priceless. So, I think I’m extremely grateful to be playing for CSK and playing with and under him.”

Though Gopal was not able to play any games in the IPL 2025 season, he hopes to utilise his experience of playing 52 IPL and 104 T20s and play in the next season.