During the IPL 2023, MS Dhoni was seen wearing kneecaps several times even during that magnificent ‘lap of honor’ at the grounds of Chennai. Earlier this month, the former Team India skipper went through knee surgery to overcome the issue.

‘Never asked if MS Dhoni was fit to play’: CSK CEO

Kasi Viswanathan added that during the IPL 2023 tournament, they never asked MS Dhoni if he was fit to play as they knew that if he is unfit, Dhoni will inform that well in advance. The CSK CEO said he is happy with the knee surgery and is currently in the recovery phase.

“We never asked him things like ‘Do you want to play or do you want to sit out?’ If he can’t, he would’ve told us straightaway,” Viswanathan said while speaking to ESPNcricinfo.

“We knew it was a struggle for him to play, but his commitment to the team, his leadership, and how the team benefits everyone knows. From that perspective, you have to appreciate him,” he said.

“Till the final, he never complained about his knee to anybody. Though everyone knew, and you would’ve seen him struggling while running, he never complained even once. After the final, he said, ‘Okay, I’ll have surgery’. He’s finished his surgery, he’s quite happy, he’s recovering,” Viswanathan added.

‘No’ to retirement: MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni had a surprise for his fans and in the post-match conference, he revealed that he intends to work hard one more year and play at least one more season if his body allows. The CSK skipper is expected to resume his training soon for the next IPL season.

“Actually, he told us immediately after the final is over he’ll fly to Mumbai, have surgery, and go back to Ranchi for rehab,” Viswanathan said.

“In Mumbai, after Ruturaj’s wedding [on June 4], I visited him. It was a courtesy call. He’s quite comfortable. He said he’ll rest for three weeks and then start his rehab. And as he said, he’s not going to play until January-February. We don’t need to remind him about all that,” Viswanathan said.

“He knows what to do, how to go about it, so we aren’t going to ask him ‘what are you going to do, how’ etc. He will inform us on his own. Whatever he’s doing, he’ll call first and inform only Mr. N Srinivasan, not anyone else. Factually, he’ll be straightforward with him. From him, we’ll get the information that this is what he’s doing. It’s been this way since 2008. That’s how it will continue,” the CSK CEO said.

Updated: 21 Jun 2023, 02:28 PM IST