Being 'Reactionless & Emotionless' Is MS Dhoni's Secret To Success, Says S. Badrinath

Former Chennai Super Kings cricketer S. Badrinath has said that skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's trait of remaining 'emotionless' and 'reactionless' no matter what the situation is something he likes about the celebrated wicketkeeper-batter, and added that those were the reasons for his success as well.

CSK have emerged as one of the most successful teams in the IPL, lifting the trophy four times -- one less than Mumbai Indians -- and Dhoni has had a hand in each winning campaign.

"There is one thing that I like and dislike about Dhoni. It is... We would have won a thrilling match. We would have played superbly and won it. He will remain reactionless. He'll take the trophy in hand and give it and go away," said Badrinath, a former India player who also played six seasons for CSK.

"Then we would lose matches very poorly. Against RCB we failed to score 120 runs in one match in Chennai. We lost. He will still remain emotionless. I'd think in surprise -- what kind of a person is Dhoni, how does he stay calm and reactionless through all ups and downs! That's the thing I like about him, and that's the reason for his success too. I have learnt a lot from him. By controlling the emotions, you can get a lot of clarity.

"So say for example someone is bowling, and I don't like him. Or I don't like his school. Inside, you'll feel a rage to attack him when you're batting. That is an emotion. That can lead to a false shot and you can get out. No, you should not have emotions. You should play the ball, not the bowler."

Badrinath, who played 95 matches for CSK scoring 1441 runs, said the learning he'd got under Dhoni's captaincy was to never get caught up in emotions.

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"Be in the moment, don't get caught up in your emotions. That's what I've learnt from MS Dhoni. It's a big, big thing. I'm trying to implement it. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is born with that ability!" added Badrinath.