"It is hard but this is the only thing I like doing" - Harbhajan Singh makes stunning MS Dhoni revelation ahead of IPL 2025

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has revealed an interesting conversation between himself and MS Dhoni ahead of the 2025 IPL season. Harbhajan recalled recently asking Dhoni about how he continues to go strong at age 43. The former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain said playing cricket is the only thing he enjoys.

Despite retiring from international cricket in 2020, with his last outing for India coming in 2019, Dhoni has continued to play in the IPL. The 43-year-old enjoyed incredible success with the bat as CSK's finisher last year, scoring 161 runs from 73 balls at an average of 53.66 at a strike rate of 220.54 in 11 innings.

Speaking about Dhoni's remarkable sustenance even at his advanced age during a conversation on ESPNcricinfo, Harbhajan said (0:54):

"Last year he was brilliant. I met him recently at one of our friend’s wedding function. He looked very fit and solid. I asked him, 'Isn’t it difficult, what you’re doing?' He said, ‘It is hard, but this is the only thing I like doing. I enjoy it. When it’s 4 or 5, I want to go and play. And I want to do it.’ It’s hard without playing any cricket. But he’s showing how it’s done."

He added:

"You know, he must be doing something better than the others. You know, still surviving – not surviving, actually – still dominating. Last season, actually, he dominated all the bowlers, international bowlers, and domestic top-class bowlers. So this practice that he does for 2-3 months, he must be facing so many balls."

Dhoni was retained by CSK as an 'Uncapped Player' for ₹4 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. The champion cricketer relinquished captaincy ahead of the 2024 season, handing over the reins of the CSK kingdom to Ruturaj Gaikwad.

"He’s the first one to come to the ground, the last one to go" - Harbhajan Singh on MS Dhoni

Harbhajan Singh pointed to MS Dhoni's incredible commitment to practice as the key reason behind his success even at the age of 43. Despite Dhoni's blistering finishes, CSK missed out on playoff qualification for only the third time in the 2024 IPL season.

"He’s (Dhoni) the first one to arrive. The more balls you play, the more you get that timing, and the more you get that flow. He keeps on batting. 2-2, 3-3 hours he bats in Chennai. And that’s what matters, you know. He’s the first one to come to the ground, the last one to go. At this age, that’s what the difference is," Harbhajan said in the same interview.

Dhoni is the IPL's sixth all-time leading run-scorer with 5,243 runs at an average of 39.12 and a strike rate of 137.53 in 264 games. Meanwhile, CSK will open their IPL 2025 season with a high-octane clash against arch-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) in Chennai on March 23.