From Duleep Trophy To The Dhoni Effect: How Mahi Inspires Jharkhand Cricketers
East Zone’s 2026 Duleep Trophy triumph put several Jharkhand cricketers into the spotlight.
Led by Ishan Kishan, East Zone ended a 13-year wait for the title, with Kishan producing a massive 270 in the final and Kumar Kushagra compiling a century. Shikhar Mohan, meanwhile, also made an impression during the tournament, scoring 85 and picking up wickets.
The performances once again highlighted the depth of talent coming through Jharkhand cricket. But behind the performances is a question that naturally comes up whenever Jharkhand’s young cricketers are discussed: what kind of influence does MS Dhoni continue to have on them?
Long after he stepped down as India captain, Dhoni still walks into the Jharkhand State Cricket Association’s academy in Ranchi like any other member, except everyone around him knows who he is.
What they’ll tell you, almost in unison, is that he never lets them feel it.
To understand what that proximity has actually looked like, RevSportz spoke to two people who watched it happen up close: Chanchal Dutta, a former JSCA academy official who spent seven years building the association’s youth roadmap, and Samar Qadri, a former Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy cricketer. Both described Dhoni as unfailingly generous with his time, allergic to hierarchy, and more interested in the process than in trophies.
Chanchal illustrated the point about his affable nature with an example. “During those workouts, I often saw him spending time with different age-group players: Under-19, Under-16, Under-23 and even Ranji Trophy players. He always said ‘yes’. The word ‘no’ was not in his dictionary”
He continued by saying, “The players used to ask Mahi, ‘why don’t you sit on a chair’. Mahi used to come down; he made it a point to sit on the floor on the turf and ask the players to sit around him.”
That accessibility is something Qadri also remembers from his own time around Dhoni. Having played for Jharkhand for around 12 years, Qadri said Dhoni’s impact on the state’s players goes back to something much bigger than cricketing advice.
“Dhoni bhai is a very chill guy. Any player can come to him and ask him anything. He can easily gel with them. Dhoni bhai always talks about the preparation process.”
Qadri said Dhoni does not necessarily tell players that they must win a particular championship. Instead, his message is to trust the process and allow the results to follow. “He always talks about the process.”
That philosophy is particularly relevant for a group of young Jharkhand players trying to establish themselves across formats. Among them is Ishan Kishan, who has been one of the most prominent faces of the state’s current generation.
Qadri, who has watched Kishan’s journey closely, described him, saying, “He is, I guess, my younger brother kind of a guy. So no need to boast about him. But he is too good. Now he is mature enough to have a conversation with Vaibhav (Sooryavanshi) also. I can see him being mature in how he reacts to every situation, and how he switches from red-ball cricket to white-ball cricket.
“He made us believe that we can do it too,” Qadri added, thinking back to his own journey from Patna into Jharkhand cricket.
For the players coming through Jharkhand, Dhoni’s journey therefore carries a sense of possibility. At the same time, Qadri believes Dhoni’s personality is what makes those interactions particularly valuable. And that, accordingly, is the influence of MSD on such young Jharkhand cricketers.
Maybe that’s the real inheritance, not a coaching manual, not a technical fix.
Just a chair he refused to sit in, and a floor he chose instead.
The post From Duleep Trophy To The Dhoni Effect: How Mahi Inspires Jharkhand Cricketers appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.
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