- Ajinkya Rahane revealed MS Dhoni’s unique dressing room rule.
- Ben Stokes influenced Rahane to delete social media apps.
- Rahane maintains a daily routine for mental freshness.
- Rahane recently retired from international cricket after long career.
Ajinkya Rahane has reflected on one of MS Dhoni’s lesser-known dressing room habits after announcing his retirement from international cricket. The former India batter described Dhoni as calm, approachable and down to earth, while revealing that the ex-India captain had one simple rule every teammate respected whenever they visited his room during tours and tournaments.
Rahane Shares MS Dhoni’s Dressing Room Habit
Rahane made his international debut under Dhoni and later reunited with him at Chennai Super Kings during the 2023 and 2024 IPL seasons. Speaking on the Stick to Cricket podcast, he said Dhoni’s room often became a gathering place for players.
The former India vice-captain said teammates regularly spent time in Dhoni’s room because he welcomed everyone, but there was one boundary nobody crossed.
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“He’s very calm and cool and just a very normal human being like everyone. His room was almost always open for anyone to do anything. So many times, 10 to 15 of us, or even the whole team, were in his room. But when his door was shut, no one was allowed,” Rahane said on the Stick to Cricket podcast.
Rahane’s comments offer another glimpse into Dhoni’s leadership style, which many former teammates have described as relaxed but disciplined.
Ben Stokes’ Advice Changed Rahane’s Routine
Rahane also explained how England all-rounder Ben Stokes helped him change his approach to social media during tournaments.
The veteran batter said he now deletes social media applications whenever a series begins to avoid distractions and remain focused on cricket.
“I delete all the social media apps when the series is on. But no one advises us to, and that’s just my own advice to myself. I remember Ben Stokes advising me not to see social media in 2017 when we played together in the IPL.”
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He added that building a daily routine helped him remain mentally fresh throughout long tours.
“Creating a routine helped me individually deal with this once I am in my room. Just things like watching something on Netflix or some other app, reading a book, chatting to family, and ironing my clothes for the next day.”
Rahane Ends Nearly Two-Decade India Career
Rahane announced his retirement from international cricket last week through an emotional video on Instagram, ending a career that stretched across all three formats.
He finished with 85 Test matches, scoring 5,077 runs, including 12 centuries and 26 fifties. In ODIs, he made 2,962 runs from 90 appearances, while he represented India in 20 T20 Internationals.
Although his international career has ended, Rahane continues to remain active in domestic cricket and franchise leagues, with his latest reflections offering fans a personal look at two of the most influential figures in Indian cricket over the past decade.
