MS Dhoni: "Play Good Cricket and You Won't Need PR" - His Take on Social Media Pressure
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Legendary Indian wicketkeeper-batter Mahendra Singh Dhoni has expressed his candid opinions regarding social media and public relations, which have become prominent topics in contemporary discourse. Despite his status as one of India's most beloved cricketers, Dhoni has maintained a deliberate distance from social media platforms, remaining largely inactive on X and Instagram. His last post on Instagram occurred in July 2024, after which he refrained from engaging with social media.
Dhoni, who made his international debut in 2004, revealed that numerous team managers encouraged him to enhance his presence on social media throughout his career. However, he was resolute in his decision to remain detached.
"I have never been particularly fond of social media. Over the years, I have had many managers who consistently urged me to engage more. I began my career in 2004; Twitter gained popularity later, followed by Instagram. All my managers advised me to focus on public relations and build my profile. My consistent response has been that if you perform well in cricket, there is no need for public relations," Dhoni stated during Eurogrip Tred Talks.
As captain, Dhoni led India in 60 Test matches, achieving 27 victories, 18 losses, and 15 draws, resulting in a win percentage of 45.00. He is recognized as one of India's most successful captains across all eras and guided the team to the top of the ICC Test Rankings. Notably, he is the only captain in history to have secured all three ICC limited-overs titles: the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy. In One Day Internationals, he captained India in 200 matches, winning 110, losing 74, and drawing five, which translates to a win percentage of 55 per cent. In T20 Internationals, Dhoni led the team in 74 matches, achieving 41 victories and a win percentage of 58.33 per cent.
MS Dhoni will return to action in IPL 2025
The 43-year-old is set to make his return in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League, donning the yellow jersey of the Chennai Super Kings. He was retained by the five-time champions under the new uncapped player rule for a sum of INR 4 crore. In addition to Dhoni, CSK successfully retained their key Indian players, which include Ruturaj Gaikwad (INR 18 crore), Ravindra Jadeja (INR 18 crore), and Shivam Dube (INR 12 crore). Furthermore, they have retained Matheesha Pathirana as their sole overseas player, with a contract valued at INR 13 crore.
