India’s last World Cup came 12 years ago under the leadership of Dhoni who is arguably the most decorated skipper in the history of Indian cricket. Twelve years later “Men in Blue” are looking to replicate the success as they remain unbeaten in the ongoing World Cup.
During an event on Thursday, Dhoni was quizzed about the difference between these two teams and he named one factor that distinguishes both teams – the mentality of winning the trophy for Sachin Tendulkar.
“There’s a big difference between the two teams. That team (2011 World Cup-winning Indian side) was a lot more united. They wanted to win the World Cup for Sachin Tendulkar. He commanded a lot of respect from others. I am not sure about this team. Don’t know who all want to win the World Cup for Virat Kohli. But, they want to win for India for sure. This is a big difference,” Dhoni said.
“It’s a very good team. Bohot accha balance hai team ka. Harlog acha khel rahe hain (The team’s balance is extremely good. All the players are playing well). So everything is looking very good. Isse zyada main kuch nahi bolunga, baaki samajhdaar ko ishara kaafi hai (I won’t say anything more than this. For the wise, the signal is enough),” Dhoni added.
Even though the iconic wicketkeeper batter has announced his retirement from international cricket, he still continues to lead the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He recently guided CSK to their fifth IPL triumph and was expected to announce his retirement as he suffered from a knee injury. He provided an update on his recovery and said, “Knee has survived the operation, going through the rehab phase. The doctor told me you would feel much better by November. But no problem in day-to-day routine.”
After the IPL, Dhone went through knee surgery at the beginning of June.