Ajinkya Rahane Lifts the Lid on What Made MS Dhoni’s Leadership Work: 'His Room Was...'

Former Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane recalled MS Dhoni's calm and approachable nature, saying the former India captain was a simple person who kept his room open for teammates to gather and spend time together, while also maintaining clear boundaries when the door was closed.

Rahane, who announced his retirement from international cricket last week, made his debut across all three formats, T20Is, ODIs and Tests, under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.

He also shared the dressing room with Dhoni during his stints with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2023 and 2024.

"He's (MS Dhoni) very calm and cool and just a very normal human being like everyone. His room was almost always open for anyone to do anything. So many times, 10 to 15 of them or even the whole team was in his room. But when his door was shut, no one was allowed," said Rahane on the Stick to Cricket podcast.

Rahane also revealed that he disconnects from social media during series to maintain focus, a habit he developed after advice from Ben Stokes in 2017 when they played together in the IPL.

He stressed that having a personal routine, including watching shows, reading, spending time with family and preparing for the next day, helps him stay mentally refreshed.

"I delete all the social media apps when the series is on. But no one advises us to, and that's just my own advice to myself. I remember Ben Stokes advising me not to see social media in 2017 when we played together in the IPL. Creating a routine helped me individually deal with this once I am in my room. Just things like watching something on Netflix or some other app, reading a book, chatting to family, and ironing my clothes for the next day," he added.

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Last week, Rahane announced his retirement from international cricket and all formats through an emotional video shared on Instagram, bringing the curtain down on a career spanning nearly two decades. In Tests, Rahane played 85 matches and 144 innings, scoring 5,077 runs, including 12 centuries and 26 fifties, at an average of 38.46 and a strike rate of 49.50.

In ODIs, he has featured in 90 matches and 87 innings, scoring 2,962 runs, with 3 centuries and 24 fifties, at an average of 35.26 and a strike rate of 78.63. In T20Is, he has played 20 matches and 20 innings, scoring 375 runs, with no centuries and one fifty, at an average of 20.83 and a strike rate of 113.29.