Ms Dhoni :103 years of fans waiting for Mahi’s call

Ramdas will turn 104 this year. While many frown upon fast-paced cricket, Ramdas is an exception. His favorite format is T20 cricket.

When it comes to fan following, MS Dhoni has always had the strongest and most passionate fans. Although MSD has retired from international cricket, he still plays for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and is loved and cherished by his fans all over the world. No age bar, whenever the IPL season comes around, fans clamor to see their ‘Thala’ in action. One such superfan lives in Chennai, a city known for its fervent love for CSK and Ms Dhoni.

Ramdass, a 103-year-old fan, has been supporting the IPL franchise for years and takes time to watch matches even at this age. A sports fan, the 103-year-old’s love for CSK clearly shines brightly till date.

Many devotees are waiting for his darshan. This time the newest addition to the list of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s fans is 103-year-old ‘young’ S Ramdas. When asked if he was interested in meeting Dhoni, he said without a moment’s hesitation, “Of course.”

Even today he loves cricket and watches every match of IPL regularly. But his special favorite is Chennai Super Kings in yellow jersey. Better to say, Ms Dhoni. Even though Dhoni has stepped down from the captaincy, Ramdas feels that there is still only one leader in Chennai – Ms Dhoni. Said, “When it’s Dhoni’s time, call me, then I will appear before him.”

His son said, “My father watches the entire IPL game. But watch the Chennai Super Kings match with a bit more frenzy. You can understand it by looking at his body language. He also predicts every game.”

While many frown upon fast-paced cricket, Ramdas is an exception. His favorite format is T20 cricket. He said, “I used to bowl while studying in school. Although he loved cricket, he was very afraid to play it. Now keep your eyes on the television. Twenty-over cricket is my favorite.”

Talking about the ongoing IPL 2024 campaign of Chennai Super Kings, the reigning champions are not having the best season this year. Just before the start of the tournament, MS Dhoni stepped down as captain. Rituraj Gaikwad was named as his successor. They managed to beat Royal Challengers Bangalore in their first game of the competition, winning the match by six wickets. In their previous game, CSK suffered a heartbreaking defeat to the Sam Curran-led Punjab Kings on 1 May. The five-time winners lost that game by seven wickets.

Even though eight matches have been played in this direction, Chennai Super Kings are still suffering from imbalance in the batting department in the top row. “We haven’t found that rhythm yet in the top order with the batting,” said coach Stephen Fleming. We have to make repairs in some places.”

Positioned 5th in the points table, Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai Super Kings faced defeat against Lucknow Super Giants in their last match. In three games earlier, no visiting team had beaten CSK in Chepauk this season, with LSG’s superb performance including a century from Marcus Stoinis leading Lucknow to victory.