CSK News: MS Dhoni is deeply philosophical, says young Subhranshu Senapati

MS Dhoni is an enigma that cannot be ignored. He not only inspires youngsters through his presence on the pitch but even the greatest of the games like Virat Kohli seek advice from him. And Odisha Ranji team batter Subhranshu Senapati, who was called up for CSK trial ahead of IPL 2022 for his prolific run at the Vijay Hazare Trophy, is leaving no stones unturned to pick up Dhoni’s brain. 

Senapati, 25, recalled his first interactions with the 2011-World Cup winning captain at the CSK camp and noticed that not only he is a good footballer but has a philosophical side which looks and understands life beyond cricket.  

“I met MS Dhoni for the first time on my first day of practice after serving a quarantine period. I introduced myself to all the players while getting on the team bus. Mahi bhai was last to get on. I had prepared a lot of things to say to him but words failed to come out of my mouth when he came in front of me. I could just manage to tell him my name before he went to his seat at the back of the bus,” he told Sambad English.

“My interactions with him picked up pace as practice continued. He is also a great footballer which I learned after playing with him. During net sessions, I could see from the corner of my eye that he was observing me every day.

“Then one day during a shoot for an advertisement, I could manage to pick his brain for a few hours. For nearly three hours he advised me and gave me tips on things that transcend cricket. He is deeply philosophical in that sense.

“As a young player who has grown up watching him, my first question to him was of course about his batting, how he prepares himself before an innings, his technique, etc. and he gave me a very smart answer. He advised me to first assess my own strengths and weaknesses before following someone else’s training regimen. He told me to work hard at the nets every day and use my brains to pick out the things that I am doing wrong, to fine tune my technique and learn from other cricketers during practice. Introspect and take a mental note of your game before adapting different methods to improve. That was a great piece of advice, in my opinion.

“He gave me a lot of life lessons drawing from his own personal experiences in cricket. It was just incredible to sit across from him and soak it all in. He is one of the greatest cricketers of all time and I feel extremely lucky that I get to pick his brains every day.”

READ MORE: Witty MS Dhoni tips CSK’s Rajvardhan Hangargekar to ‘improve football skills’

Subhranshu Senapati was bought for INR 20 lakh by CSK

Senapati was subsequently bought for INR 20 lakh by CSK for IPL 2022. He has been one of the leading names of his state team and was the leading run scorer for Odisha in 2017-18 and 2018-19 Ranji season apart from being a handy bowler and fine fielder which makes him a complete package. 

“The funniest thing happened with my family in Keonjhar. They were ecstatic for me and were celebrating among themselves but within 10 minutes of my signing, mediapersons completely surrounded our house. My family was shocked as this is not something that they had ever experienced in life,” Senapati said. 

“I had never expected to see my mother speaking to journalists standing in front of cameras. I have an older sister who is a teacher like my father and a younger brother who is playing district level cricket. They were all very happy and I am glad that I could put smiles on their faces”

CSK will begin their IPL 2022 campaign on the opening day of March 26 against KKR.