Former Australia cricketer and coach Justin Langer is blown away by MS Dhoni’s stardom, saying the hero worship culture in a cricket-loving country like India is unbelievable. Having experienced Dhoni’s aura in the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) for the first time, Langer was taken aback by how fans, home or away, are keen on watching CSK’s mainstay bat, even if it’s for an over.
While speaking on the weekly cricket podcast from BBC Sport – Stumped, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) coach Justin Langer said,
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“It’s extraordinary. I heard about it first; then we played them [CSK] twice. They came to Lucknow, and our capacity crowd [in Ekana Stadium] is about 50,000, and honestly, there would have been 48,000 MS Dhoni number seven shirts. I couldn’t believe it, and then we went to CSK, and there wasn’t 98%; there was 100%. And it’s unbelievable. The hero worship in India is unbelievable,” Langer said of MS Dhoni’s craze in India.
“And look, I felt it when we played in India before as a player, particularly with Sachin Tendulkar. Then, when I was coaching with [Australia], Virat Kohli, and MS Dhoni, But when you get over there, it’s unbelievable,” Langer continued saying.
Dhoni and Dhoni’s stardom
Meanwhile, the India and Chennai Super Kings veteran Dhoni is a five-time IPL champion – joint-most with Rohit Sharma (for Mumbai Indians), having won several other trophies for both his franchise and in the now-defunct T20 Champions League.
For the longest time in this competition and even outside of it, Dhoni remained head and shoulders ahead of everyone regarding popularity, with fans turning out in huge numbers every season to watch the now-retired India star.
Dhoni, who stepped aside from CSK captaincy ahead of the ongoing IPL 2024, was in some form this season, striking at over 220. Although some of his cameos made headlines, more so for his power-hitting, CSK failed to reach the playoffs after losing to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their last league game.
With CSK’s season over, questions around Dhoni’s future continue to linger. Per the latest reports, the sources close to the information in the CSK backroom staff revealed Dhoni hasn’t informed anyone of his plans, saying he will take a call after a few months.
Besides, LSG also got knocked out of the playoff race by finishing seventh on the points table.
Dhoni’s CSK and Langer’s LSG faced off twice this season, with both teams winning the away clashes.
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