MS Dhoni's aggressive response to a coaching input stunned Michael Hussey during CSK's IPL 2018 Qualifier 1 match against SRH. (BCCI)Former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni’s approach to the game revolves around his icy cool demeanour in the face of mind-crunching pressure on the field. But if one were to encounter the odd moment and fall on the wrong side of Dhoni’s generally unwavering temper, the experience could be stunning and perhaps, eye-opening.
Dhoni’s former teammate and current CSK batting coach, Michael Hussey, recently described an incident with wicketkeeper-batter that left him gobsmacked during his first coaching season in the IPL.
Hussey, who represented CSK from 2008 to 2013 and returned for another year in 2015, joined the franchise as a batting coach in their comeback year following a two-year ban in 2018. Steering the side to the Playoffs, CSK were to meet SunRisers Hyderabad in the Qualifier 1 match where Dhoni’s men would be pitted against Afghan spin wizard Rashid Khan who was making waves in only his second season in the league.
The former Australia batter would almost immediately find out that he couldn’t get too technical with coaching ahead of big games.
“I love it. The talent there is unbelievable and you get to coach, ‘loosely’. It is more like not to try and stuff them (players) up, with some of the greatest players around,” said ‘Mr. Cricket’ as he reflected on his coaching journey in the Backchat Podcast.
“To be able to work with MS Dhoni, for example, the greatest finisher in the history of the game in my mind… I sort of used to pinch myself,” Hussey added before he revealed an iffy exchange.
Hussey said an exchange of data on Rashid Khan’s variations would not go down too well with Dhoni during the Qualifier 1 game later on.
“The night before the big game, the analyst sends me through this split screen of Rashid Khan. And it’s basically when he bowls his wrong’uns, he runs in his fingers together and when he bowls his leggy, his fingers are apart. ‘Ooh this is good’. But this is the night before the game though, so I’m sitting on thinking do I send this out to the batters or do I not? I sat looking at it for an hour because you don’t want to put too much stuff guys’ head the night before the game.
“But I’m sitting on this and thought I’ll never forgive myself if I didn’t send this through and I sent it to the batting group. I said for what it’s might worth you might want to use it or just ignore it if you don’t. Faf du Plessis loves that kind of stuff and he came back immediately, saying ‘awesome, yeah, yeah’,” revealed Hussey.
Chasing 140 in the Qualifier 1 against SRH in Mumbai, CSK would crumble to 39 or four as Rashid would castle Dhoni. Though CSK would scrape home to victory by two wickets, Dhoni left Hussey thinking his coaching career was done for good.
“We were like four down for nothing the next day and Dhoni’s in with Faf at the other. Rashid Khan comes in first ball and bowls the wrong’un. Dhoni goes for the cover drive, hitting against the spin, bowled. You got to understand that this guy is a mega star, like bigger than god.
“He comes in and looks me straight in the eye and he goes, ‘I’ll bat my own f***ing way, thanks’ and sits down next to me. Oh, Coaching career, done! I sat for the rest of the game like a stunned mullet,” Hussey recounted with a chuckle.
As CSK would meet SRH again in the final and waltz to their third IPL title, a calmer Dhoni approached Hussey to clear the air.
“Dhoni’s a great guy and he comes up after the game and said, ‘The information was great, but I needed more time and a couple of net sessions to process it'”.
Hussey admits it was a gruelling start to his coaching career, but thankfully Dhoni “stuck with me” as the Aussie’s coaching association with the franchise extends to a seventh edition this year.
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