MS Dhoni’s on-field captainship needs no introduction for fans of the Indian cricket team as well as the Indian Premier League outfit Chennai Super Kings. But the cricketing Thalaiva’s recent gesture for his CSK teammates (after the suspension of the current edition of the IPL due to COVID-related reasons) has elevated his leadership stature off the field, too.

In a virtual meeting with his teammates, Dhoni expressed that foreign players should get the preference to travel first since the IPL is being hosted by India, according to a report in The Indian Express.

The World Cup-winning former Indian skipper will wait for the foreigners to leave first and the other Indian players next, before he goes home from Delhi, where the team is based at present.

“Mahibhai said that he will be the last person to leave the hotel. He wanted foreigners to leave first, then the Indian players. He will be taking the last flight tomorrow when everyone reaches their home safe and secure,” a member of CSK told The Indian Express.

This act of sincere compassion for his was hailed by numerous MSD fans online.

However, even this news continued to draw ire from a section of the fans, who believe that the authorities shouldn’t have gone ahead with hosting this season of the IPL in India, in the first place. The country has reported close to four lakh daily COVID-19 cases consistently over the last week or so.

This development has also hurt India’s chances of hosting the rescheduled T20 World Cup later this year. The country is battling with an acute shortage of healthcare infrastructure to handle the increasing number of cases, and a weak leadership that has been unable to tackle the worsening situation.

Before the suspension of the IPL on Tuesday, following a COVID-19 breakout within the camps of three teams, CSK was strongly placed at the second position in the league table. This personified a strong comeback from the two-time IPL winners after failing to qualify for the playoffs last season.

CSK have been defeated only twice out of their seven games this year, and are only two points behind leaders Delhi Capitals, with a game in hand.

The country’s apex cricket body, BCCI is unsure over the resumption of the league in the coming weeks. But whenever it does, CSK will be in a strong position to stake a claim for a playoff berth.

Image source: Instagram/Chennai Super Kings