MS Dhoni turns 36: Five lessons other cricket captains can learn from him

#3 Handling the press

Dhoni has time and again owned the media with his witty replies

A skipper’s job is not restricted only to the 22 yards. He has to speak for his troops, preside over media conferences, handle the sometimes vexing reporters. Dhoni the captain nailed all of that with a smile. He answered (and answers) the paparazzi in his idiosyncratic cool demeanour without any agitation or blunt reply. On several occasions, he cleaned bowled reporters with his witty responses.

Extra cover: MS Dhoni over the years: The remarkable journey from 2004-2017 in pictures

When he was once asked to talk about his transition from a veteran side to a young side, Dhoni said, “From Kishore Kumar, we have gone to Sean Paul”

When India were whitewashed by Australia and England a couple of years ago in Test cricket, the skipper was asked which defeat felt worse. Dhoni’s witty response was, “You die, you die. You don’t see which is the better way to die.”