The legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni's fitness level hasn't dropped a bit even after two-years of his retirement from International cricket. His batting might have come under scrutiny at the age of 40 but he can still beat the best of the players when it comes to running between the wicket. One of the sharpest minds in the international cricket Dhoni's acumen was visible even in the captaincy of Ravindra Jadeja for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) IPL 2022. Dhoni was seen calling most of the shots, however, the defending champions CSK ended up ninth on the IPL standings this season.
Regardless, the amalgamation of mental sharpness and supreme fitness are two huge factors that made Dhoni the legend he is.
Dhoni has won 2007 ICC World Twenty20, 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. Under his captaincy, India won the Asia Cup two times, in 2010 and 2016. India also won ICC Test Championship Mace two times in 2010 and 2011 under his leadership.
Dhoni was at the prime of his career in the early 2010s, when his captaincy acumen was next to none and his batting was more consistent than over. Having observed Dhoni from close quarters, Ramji Srinivasan, who was Team India's trainer witness first-hand what separated MSD from the rest. And today, after all these years, he says that Dhoni is extremely fit for a 40-year-old athlete.
"MSD is an enigma and like Sachin Tendulkar, is one in a billion product. He does what suits him, be it strength work, agility, speed or hybrid work. He has his own protocols in place, which suits him. He has amazing reflex like a Formula One driver and with a mind like 5-star General. Very few can match MSD fitness when they reach that age," Srinivasan told the New Indian Express.
Srinivasan had a huge role to play during India’s injury-less campaign in the 2011 World Cup. Sure, the toll cricket took on the body of athletes was far less as compared to today, but even then, for an entire squad of players to play nearly two-month of non-stop cricket in hot conditions wasn’t easy. But Srinivasan performed his role with perfection, highlighting how players were fiercely dedicated to ensure they remained injury-free.
"We were the only team where the players never missed a match due to any injuries. The players prepared one year ahead. They were all both mentally and physically prepared. I would say each and every player took individual responsibility to keep themselves fit and I, as a Strength & Conditioning (S&C) professional, never pushed them beyond their capacity," he added.
