Tracing MS Dhoni’s transformation from reluctant dancer to lively performer

There is a reason Mahendra Singh Dhoni is much-admired, not only in India but across the globe. Whatever he does or engages in, the veteran keeper-batter brings along a different kind of flair and adds his own charisma to it. This is one of the reasons why his fan following hasn’t diminished even though he retired from international cricket in August 2020.

Over the past couple of days, videos of the former Indian captain shaking a leg with all-rounders Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, keeper-batter Ishan Kishan and rapper Badshah at a club have broken the internet. According to some media reports, the viral party videos are from a birthday bash in Dubai.

While die-hard 'MSD' fans have gone crazy watching their favorite cricketer grooving to peppy beats, the improvement in Dhoni’s dancing skills has been quite evident and also surprisingly pleasant.

It is no secret that, unlike his cricketing talent, the Ranchi-born legend is not blessed when it comes to boogying. But like on the cricket field, Dhoni seems to have worked on his foot movement for the dance floor as well!

In this feature, we trace his transformation from a reluctant dancer to his much-improved latest version.

When Shah Rukh Khan tried to turn Dhoni into Don

During Pakistan's tour of India in 2007-08, a fun event was organized for both teams. Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan hosted the show and entertained the cricketers.

Known for his humor, Shah Rukh kept the players in good spirits with his dancing and acting skills. He also called up Dhoni on stage and engaged in some fun conversations with him. 'SRK' then made him perform on the popular title track of his movie “Don”.

As he always does, MSD gave it his best. But he was clearly found lacking with regard to his timing when it came to dancing. Even his off-field struggles, though, ended up entertaining players from both India and Pakistan.

When Dhoni politely refused Priyanka Chopra’s dance request

Famous Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra was part of the IPL 2012 opening ceremony. During the event, she interacted with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) players and their captain Dhoni.

At the end of the chat, she urged MSD and his team to shake a leg on the popular ‘Nakamuka’ song.

The skipper asked his teammates if they were ready, but then swiftly moved to the side to stay away from the scene of action.

Even as a number of other CSK players joined Chopra and grooved to the lively number, Dhoni was content watching the performances.

When Dhoni’s dancing skills left Sakshi in splits

Back in 2017, another dance video of MSD went viral. In it, the legendary keeper-batter is seen attempting to impress his better half Sakshi with his grooving talent.

Dhoni performed on the song “Jhar Mar Ke”, which was picturized on his good friend John Abraham in the film "Desi Boyz".

While the cricketer’s feet movements were far from ideal, he did a good job of entertaining Sakshi.

She was totally amused by her hubby’s innocent dancing skills and couldn’t stop laughing as she watched him do something he wasn’t too good at.

When Dhoni hid behind Sakshi

The former India captain with wife Sakshi.

Even till last year, MSD did not seem too comfortable with his dancing skills.

In a video that went viral in February 2021, the former Indian captain and his wife Sakshi are seen grooving to the “Vaathi Coming” song, which had become a social media craze back then, at a friend’s wedding.

Well, to be honest, only one person was dancing, and that wasn’t Dhoni.

While Sakshi showed off her moves and made quite an impression, MSD was content standing behind and giving her company with a slight tilt of the head and some barely visible hand movements.

In another clip for the same function, the cricketer can be spotted sitting on a chair and moving his body in the name of dancing.

Dancer Dhoni comes to the fore!

MSD looked in terrific dancing form in his latest viral video.

From shying away when asked to show off his moves to shedding his inhibitions and going all out in his latest dance video, MSD the performer has indeed come a long way.

In the recent clip of Dhoni, the Pandya brothers, and Badshah, which is making waves, the former Indian captain can be clearly seen enjoying himself on the dance floor.

Shaking a leg to groovy Bollywood tracks like “Gandi Baat” and “Dilliwaali Girlfriend”, MSD looks at great ease even while performing the hard steps.

He matched Hardik when it came to moving to the beat, which is quite a significant leap! Time then to say hello to Dancer Dhoni 2.0?

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