Dwayne Bravo heaped praise on the Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni, saying that a player's career is 'born again' when he joins CSK.
West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has been a part of Indian Premier League franchise Chennai Super Kings since 2011. He has been one of the mainstays for the CSK in their playing XI, having played major roles in the title-winning seasons in 2011 and 2018.
In an interview with ESPNCricinfo, Bravo opened up about the team culture in Chennai Super Kings, heaping praise on captain MS Dhoni. The former Indian captain has been leading the Chennai franchise since the inception of the league in 2008 (with exceptions in 2016 and 2017, when the franchise was banned for two years).
Bravo said that even as CSK has had many 'good captains' in the side over the years, Dhoni makes players comfortable in their skin.
“CSK over the years have had many good captains in their dressing room. We’ve had Faf du Plessis, Brendon McCullum, myself, Mike Hussey. These guys have been leaders in various countries, but MS is the type of person who always says that ‘you are here because you’re good enough, so when you come here, you don’t need to prove anything to anyone. The franchise sees and it knows what you can offer. Just be yourself,’” Bravo said. (ALSO READ: Optimistic about IPL post-monsoon with int'l players: BCCI CEO)
He further said that a player's career 'is born again' when he joins CSK, citing examples of Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu.
“Whenever a player comes to CSK, it’s like his career is kind of born again. Look at Shane Watson a few years ago, look at Ambati Rayudu, when he left Mumbai, everybody’s career (graph) keeps going up whenever they come around CSK," said Bravo.
MS Dhoni has been widely praised for his leadership skills, and Bravo said that even with all of Dhoni's accolades and achievements, he remains available for every player in the side at all times. (ALSO READ: KKR 'confident' for IPL to take place this year: Pat Cummins)
“MS doesn’t put pressure on anyone. Outside of cricket, you rarely see him, but his room is always open, so you can walk in there anytime.
"He’s brilliant to have conversations with, obviously played so many games. He creates an environment where people feel comfortable and everyone relaxes; he doesn’t behave like a superstar despite all his accolades and achievements,” Bravo said.
