"He would come and tell us, 'chalo, ab FIFA khelenge'" - When MS Dhoni's former Jharkhand teammate opened up on cricketer's humble nature

One of the reasons Mahendra Singh Dhoni is so popular with fans is because of his humble and extremely down-to-earth nature. There have been numerous instances of cricket fans sharing their experiences of the former India captain's humility and generosity.

Not only cricket lovers, but members of the cricket fraternity have also vouched for the 43-year-old modest and unassuming nature. Back in 2020, Dhoni's former Jharkhand teammate Ishank Jaggi opened up about how the star cricketer stayed in the same hotel as the other team members while playing domestic cricket and played FIFA with them at the end of the day's play.

Jaggi told ESPNcricinfo:

"When he played with the team, he stayed in the same hotel as the team. He likes players to be in his room, chatting and all. Travel-wise, if he didn't have any commitment elsewhere, he would travel with the team. There are no airs about him."

"He was always ready to help anyone out, and anyone had the freedom to go and speak to him about the game. After a stressful day he would come and tell us, "chalo, ab FIFA khelenge" (come, let's play the FIFA video game). And four of us [Dhoni, Jaggi, Ishan Kishan and Pratyush Singh] would go play," he added.

Jaggi (35) played 90 first-class matches from 2008 to 2020. A right-handed batter, he scored 5,600 runs at an average of 42.10, with the aid of 19 hundreds and 21 fifties, which included a best of 201*. Jaggi also played 81 List A matches and 68 T20 games, scoring 3,014 and 1,750 runs respectively.

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"As long as MS wants to play, the doors are open" - CSK CEO on Dhoni's IPL future

There have been speculations over Dhoni's future in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the last couple of seasons. The veteran cricketer has been battling knee injuries and even underwent surgery in Mumbai after leading Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to victory in the 2023 edition.

Sharing his thoughts on the cricket legend's future in the IPL, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan recently told Ambati Rayudu on Provoke TV:

"As far as Mahi bhai is concerned, you know he keeps everything to himself. It comes out at the last moment only. Knowing the passion he has for CSK, and also knowing the following he has, and he also mentioned in one of the interviews that he'll play his last game in Chennai, we're hoping that he will continue as far as CSK is concerned."

"As long as MS wants to play, the doors are open. Knowing him, his commitment, and his dedication, I'm sure he'll always take the right decision," Viswanathan added.

Dhoni was retained by CSK ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction as an uncapped Indian player for ₹4 crore.