"Till now I get goosebumps" - CSK star opens up on MS Dhoni's aura ahead of IPL 2025

Team India cricketer and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad recently shed some light on MS Dhoni's aura ahead of the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The right-handed batter revealed that he gets goosebumps when the 42-year-old is around him due to his stature.

Dhoni, who has been playing in the IPL since 2008, has established himself as one of the biggest stars in the tournament's history. The Ranchi-born cricketer is the joint-most successful captain, having led the Super Kings to five titles. At the same time, he is the most-capped player in the IPL, having featured in 264 games.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Gaikwad opened up about his nervousness when he first shared the dressing room with Dhoni and revealed that the veteran made him feel comfortable. The 28-year-old elaborated:

"For the first time [I was] very nervous [while sharing a dressing room with Dhoni]. Obviously I had never met anyone with that kind of a stature. But he made me feel comfortable and made me feel like I’m a part of the team. After that till now whenever he is around I get goosebumps but I have to get myself back and focus I never dreamt about it, playing with MS Dhoni. With the kind of age difference we have he is almost 16-18 years older than me. So every time I go out to bat for CSK in the IPL, my only aim is to play until MS Dhoni comes to bat."

The star cricketer has also captained the most matches in IPL history. Dhoni led in a staggering 226 matches and won 133 of them.

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MS Dhoni stepped down as captain ahead of IPL 2024 to make way for Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad. (Image Credits: Getty)

Ahead of IPL 2024, MS Dhoni surprised one and all by stepping down from the leadership role, making way for Gaikwad to captain the Yellow Army. At a press conference, head coach Stephen Fleming endorsed the move from the veteran, claiming it was the right time, and said, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:

"It was MS [Dhoni's decision] with a lot of consideration and one view to the future on the back of a good season last year. The timing was good. Behind the scenes, Ruturaj and others have been on a, say, a captaincy-grooming process, looking forward to days like this and the opportunities come up, but MS is the best judge and he felt the time was right."

Meanwhile, the Super Kings will open their IPL 2025 campaign against the Mumbai Indians on March 23. CSK missed the playoffs by a whisker in IPL 2024.