Dhoni lauded for calm leadership by Manjrekar and Gopal

Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's leadership and humility drew fresh praise this week from former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar and Chennai Super Kings teammate Shreyas Gopal, who said Dhoni's calm, tactical approach has a lasting impact on players and teams. The endorsements, made during separate interviews on YouTube, highlighted Dhoni's ability to lift inexperienced sides to titles and his continuing value to teammates in the Indian Premier League.

Manjrekar, speaking on the Stalin Mathias channel, placed Dhoni among the game's most effective captains, alongside Pakistan great Imran Khan. Manjrekar pointed to Dhoni's role in leading an inexperienced India to the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup and cited his composure in finals as a defining trait. "He played the final just like he would play one of the earlier league matches," Manjrekar said, adding that Dhoni had "singlehandedly raised the bar" and often got average or young sides to perform beyond expectations.

Gopal, who spent the 2025 IPL season with Chennai Super Kings but did not play a match, echoed those sentiments in an interview on the SportsYaaris channel. He praised Dhoni for remaining grounded amid fame and...