"I want to open. Can I go?" - When a young MS Dhoni volunteered to open the batting on a tough pitch 

Former India captain MS Dhoni is regarded as one of the greatest white-ball players the game of cricket has produced. While he won a number of matches for the Men in Blue with his sensational finishing skills, Dhoni is also highly renowned for razor-sharp captaincy. In fact, he is the only captain in world cricket to have won the ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy.

While speaking on Sportskeeda's special show SK Tales back in May 2022, former India pacer Vivek Razdan recalled an incident from Dhoni's younger days, which gave an early glimpse into the Ranchi-born cricketer's leadership qualities. Razdan revealed that Dhoni volunteered to open the batting in a club game on a surface which was extremely challenging for batters.

The incident in question dates back to 2003-04, before the keeper-batter made his debut for India. Recalling the interesting story, Razdan, who was captaining a team in a local tournament in Bareilly, told SK Tales:

“He (Dhoni) was playing the Duleep Trophy at that time. But there was a gap between matches and he came to play our semi-final. I was the captain in that match and decided to bowl after winning the toss because the pitch looked a bit patchy and we were not sure how it would behave. In the first few overs, we understood the nature of the pitch. Some balls were bouncing awkwardly, a few were staying low."

The opposition team, which featured some big names from the Ranji Trophy, ended up scoring over 150 runs in 40 overs. Former India batter Ajay Jadeja was part of the team and Razdan wanted him to open considering the tricky nature of the surface. Jadeja expressed his reluctance since he hadn't opened before, but Dhoni jumped on the opportunity. Razdan continued:

“MS Dhoni was also sitting there. Suddenly, he stood up and said, ‘I want to open. Can I go?’. There was so much confidence in his tone that I straightaway agreed to his request. Some people are scared of challenges while some others turn them into opportunities.”

The former India pacer further recalled that Dhoni took the pitch out of the equation and smashed the bowlers all around the park, adding 120 runs with Jadeja. He also admitted that all those watching were stunned with the youngster's exploits.

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MS Dhoni-led CSK finished last in IPL 2025

While Dhoni has seen many highs during his incredible cricket career, he has had his share of lows as well. He took over leadership of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) midway through IPL 2025. Under the 43-year-old, CSK finished last in the points table for the first time in the history of the IPL.

Chennai won only four and lost 10 of their 14 matches in IPL 2025. As for Dhoni, he scored 196 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 135.17, with a best of 30*.