[Exclusive] ‘He lost his cool, abused me’ – Mohit Sharma recalls CLT20 moment with MS Dhoni

While legendary skipper MS Dhoni is known for his calm and composed nature, yet, some of his teammates have also seen a few moments when the wicketkeeper-batter has lost his cool. Former India pacer Mohit Sharma, who spent his formative IPL years under Dhoni at Chennai Super Kings (CSK), recently recalled a Champions League T20 (CLT20) incident.

During a clash against Kolkata Knight Riders in the CLT20, Mohit mistakenly thought Dhoni had asked him to bowl, but later realised that the Ranchi-born wanted some other pacer to come into the attack. Mohit revealed that despite him getting a wicket in that over, Dhoni didn't stop abusing him.

"I had a lot of moments. Mahi bhai has a cool and calm aura. You don’t expect him to lose his cool. Being a young guy, you get excited when he loses his cool at you. There was a moment in the CLT20 against KKR, Mahi bhai called Ishwar Pandey to bowl, but I thought he called me. I started my run-up, but Mahi bhai said he didn’t call me to bowl, and he tried calling Ishwar. The umpire said I have to continue bowling as I had started my run-up. He lost his cool at me and abused me. I took Yusuf [Pathan] bhai’s wicket on the first ball. During the celebration, Mahi bhai was still hurling abuses (laughs)," Mohit told CricTracker in an exclusive interaction.

The Haryana-born said that he has spent a lot of time with the legendary cricketer and revealed that the latter teaches many things about life to his colleagues.

“At the same time, I had a lot of off-field moments [with him]. He is someone who loves to teach things. Every time you sit with him, you learn something in life, not just about the sport. He teaches how cricket can make a kind human,” he added.

Mohit Sharma last played for CSK in 2019

The 36-year-old's stint with CSK began in 2013, and he immediately became one of Dhoni’s go-to bowlers. The right-arm seamer bagged 20 wickets in his debut IPL season, followed by 23 in 2014 to win the Purple Cap. Between 2013 and 2015, he picked up 57 wickets for CSK. He later moved to Kings XI Punjab and then played for Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans. 

He returned to CSK in 2019 but could not replicate his early success. Still, with 69 wickets across his four seasons, he is one of CSK’s leading wicket-takers. His time with Dhoni played an important role in earning him an India call-up in 2013.