Former Chennai Super Kings player S Badrinath has spoken about the incident when MS Dhoni lost his cool during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2008. He revealed how the wicketkeeper-batsman once kicked the water bottle out of the park.
Chennai Super Kings player MS Dhoni is one of the greatest minds to have ever played the game of cricket. The wicketkeeper-batsman is known for his calm nature, and it is one of the main reasons why he is so successful. He has often thrived in pressure situations and has won matches for his team.
There haven’t been many instances where MS Dhoni has lost his cool, and one such instance came during the match between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the inaugural edition of the league. The match was held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai and was a low-scoring thriller.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru finished with a total of just 126 for eight, with Rahul Dravid top-scoring with 47 runs off 39 balls. Albie Morkel was the best of the bowlers as he returned with a four-wicket haul and it looked like the Chennai Super Kings would win the game easily.
However, Royal Challengers Bengaluru put in a sensational effort with the ball. Opening batsman Stephen Fleming got his side off to a flying start by scoring 44 off 39 balls before the home side lost a number of wickets and were restricted to just 111 for eight.
S Badrinath revealed that during the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru MS Dhoni lost his cool after the team lost wickets quickly. But he said that it was not on the field because he did not want to show the opposition captain that he had lost his cool. Speaking to InsideSport, he explained:
“He is also a human being… he has lost his cool. But that has never happened on the field. He has never let the opposition know that he has lost his cool. In this match against RCB in Chennai, we were chasing 110-odd. We lost wickets in a group and ended up losing the match.”
MS Dhoni did great. I was like, ‘Holy shit, my God!’ – S Badrinath
S Badrinath mentioned that after he left, MS Dhoni was walking inside the dressing room. He revealed how, on his way back, the wicketkeeper-batsman broke the water bottle outside the field.
Badrinath also said that no one in the team was able to make eye contact with MS Dhoni after that incident. But he mentioned that the wicketkeeper-batsman did not say anything to anyone and also did not speak about it in the team meeting. He elaborated:
“I came out for a return shot against Anil Kumble. I was LBW. So, I was standing inside the dressing room, and he came in, where there was a small bottle of water. MS just hit it out of the park. I was like, ‘Shit, oh my God!’
“Nobody wants to see that. We just couldn’t look him in the eye. We were all trying to stay away from him. But that was it. He didn’t say anything. There was no team meeting about it,” he concluded.
