After MS Dhoni’s ‘smoking’ video sent the internet into a frenzy, a 2018 comment from George Bailey has made the news again.
MS Dhoni is loved and adored by fans all over the world. His greatness, legacy and most importantly, simplicity is what has struck the chord with fans. If after Sachin Tendulkar, any cricketer from India has reached demi-god status, it’s Dhoni. The two-time World Cup winning captain and the only one to win all three ICC trophies, Dhoni’s stature is such that some sections of fans worship the very land he walks on. Hence, many felt it was quite shocking when a video of Dhoni smoking a hookah, also known as sheesha, emerged on the internet a couple of days back.
Dhoni, who is enjoying his semi-retired life to the fullest – he is travelling states, asking locals for directions, surprising fellow workout partners inside a gym, celebrating their birthdays, and attending events and star-studded parties. It’s almost as if people are witnessing a brand-new version of Dhoni in this avatar of his. Dhoni recently shot a commercial with MC Stan, collaborating with the rapper for a smartwatch. The video of Dhoni letting out a puff of smoke, likely recorded during the same, shattered the castle of illusion for many, while others were hardly undone by it.
However, as it turns out, Dhoni’s fondness for sheesha isn’t new. In 2018, Dhoni’s then teammates at Chennai Super Kings, George Bailey had revealed how MSD likes a bit of smoking every now and then and chooses hookah as an outlet to bond with youngsters who join the franchise.
Here’s what George Bailey had said in 2018
“He likes smoking a bit of the sheesha or the hookah. So, he quite often would set that up in his room, and it was very much open-door policy. You would go in and quite often find a lot of younger players there. For India or a lot of other cricket teams, it can be hierarchical, but he certainly broke that down,” Bailey, who played with Dhoni at CSK (2009-2012) and Rising Pune Supergiant (2016) had said in a video posted by Cricket Australia.
“You just find yourself in his room late at night chatting inevitably about the game or about different facets of the game or about different people and with different people it’s a great way to break down barriers.”
While Dhoni has been making news for activities off the ground, he will be back on it when the 16th season of the Indian Premier League goes off the floors at the end of March. After leading Chennai Super Kings to their fifth IPL title last-year following last-ball nail-biter against Gujarat Giants, Dhoni revealed he was almost done before deciding to turn up for one final season in 2024.