Former India cricketer Ajinkya Rahane had made his international debut under the captaincy of MS Dhoni in all three formats of the game.
Published: August 6, 2026, 2:51 PM IST
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MS Dhoni (left) and Ajinkya Rahane(Photo: IANS)
Former India batter Ajinkya Rahane is one of the rare cricketers who has seen MS Dhoni – both in international cricket as well Indian Premier LeagueRahane was part of the MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2023 and 2024 season and even made his international debut under his captaincyIn a chat on England’s ‘Stick to Cricket’ podcast, Rahane opened up on Dhoni’s nature off the field.
Rahane, who announced his retirement from international cricket last week, made his debut across all three formats, T20Is, ODIs and Tests, under the captaincy of MS Dhoni“He’s (MS Dhoni) very calm and cool and just a very normal human being like everyoneHis room was almost always open for anyone to do anythingSo many times, 10 to 15 of them or even the whole team was in his roomBut when his door was shut, no one was allowed,” Rahane said on the ‘Stick to Cricket podcast’.
Watch Ajinkya Rahane speaking about MS Dhoni HERE…
AJINKYA RAHANE ON MS DHONI’S LEADERSHIP!
️ Anchor: “What is MS Dhoni like?”
️ Ajinkya Rahane:
“Very calm, very cool, very normal human beingJust like everyone.”
“He had a suite in the hotel and the doors were open 24/7.”
“It was his way, in a subtle way, to tell… pic.twitter.com/9uWWb0amF7
— Sunil Gavaskar (@virender_swag) August 5, 2026
On the same podcast, Rahane revealed that he disconnects from social media during an important series to maintain focus, a habit he developed after advice from Ben Stokes in 2017 when they played together in the IPLThe Kolkata Knight Riders captain stressed that having a personal routine, including watching shows, reading, spending time with family and preparing for the next day, helps him stay mentally refreshed.
“I delete all the social media apps when the series is onBut no one advises us to, and that’s just my own advice to myselfI remember Ben Stokes advising me not to see social media in 2017 when we played together in the IPLCreating a routine helped me individually deal with this once I am in my roomJust things like watching something on Netflix or some other app, reading a book, chatting to family, and ironing my clothes for the next day,” he added.
Rahane ended his 15-year-lond international career last weekIn Tests, Rahane turned out in 85 matches and 144 innings, scoring 5,077 runs, including 12 centuries and 26 fifties, at an average of 38.46 and a strike rate of 49.50In ODI cricket, he has featured in 90 matches and 87 innings, scoring 2,962 runs, with 3 centuries and 24 fifties, at an average of 35.26 and a strike rate of 78.63.
In T20Is, he has 20 appearances and 20 innings, scoring 375 runs, with no centuries and one fifty, at an average of 20.83 and a strike rate of 113.29.
