Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has virtually ruled out taking up a microphone inside the commentary box, characterizing the well-liked post-retirement position as a “difficult” balancing act driven by statistics that he finds difficult to memorize.
Since retiring in 2020, the 44-year-old, who captained India to three ICC titles, has seldom ever spoken his opinions on matters pertaining to the game. His involvement in cricket is now restricted to his Chennai Super Kings IPL matches.
“Commentary is very difficult. I feel there is a very fine line between describing the game and in that process getting into a zone where you start criticising individuals who are playing the game. It’s a very thin line,” PTI quoted Dhoni telling sports broadcaster Jatin Sapru during a YouTube interaction.
“Often, you don’t even feel that what you are doing is may be borderline wrong. You would always like to be on the other side where you are describing the game. If you feel something is wrong you say it out. But how to put it, that is also an art, how to politely put it forward where nobody feels targeted…If the team is losing there are reasons behind it, and you need to have the skill of describing those reasons without anybody feeling bad. That is the art of commentary,” he said.
In addition to the delicate nature of the work, Dhoni believes he is at a disadvantage because he cannot memorize statistics, including his own.
“I’m not good with stats…but there are a lot of people who are very good with stats. They know stats…If you ask me about my stats, I’ll be like hmmm and there are certain people who know stats about not just Indian cricket team or the Indian players but everyone throughout the era,” he said.
When faced with tough choices during his playing career, Dhoni was known to have Zen-like calm. He was also questioned about if he had ever sought guidance on life and cricket. The wicketkeeper-batter claimed that because he usually listens carefully, he has hardly ever needed to ask for it.
“I’m a very good listener. Yes I do speak with people who I’m comfortable with. But I’m more of a listener than a speaker. And if I don’t know about the topic I don’t speak much because I will be absorbing more if I’m listening,” he said.
“I never feel that urge to contribute if I don’t know…being a good listener you don’t always have to look for advice…They keep floating around just with certain people who you are having a conversation with. You need to have that intelligence to figure out what works the best for you,” he added.
However, Dhoni acknowledged, grinning broadly, that his phone answering skills have not improved.
“I’m not good in that way of communicating. I like to sit across and speak to people. I’m not someone who’s very good over the phone because I can’t see a face. So, I’m a very awkward guy when it comes to speaking on the phone. So that’s something I want to improve but I’m glad I haven’t improved. You know when initially mobile phones came it was for the benefit of the people who own the phone. Now your mobile phone is for my benefit,” he joked.
