I too feel pressure early on: Dhoni

Well-known as “Captain Cool”, former Indian captain M.S. Dhoni has no hesitation in accepting that that he too is not immune to pressure and fear, especially in the beginning of his innings. “Nobody really says that, when I go to bat, the first 5 to 10 deliveries my heart rate is elevated, I feel the pressure, I feel a bit scared because that’s how everybody feels,” said Dhoni at an event orhanised by MFORE — an initiative offering mind conditioning programmes to achieve peak performance in sports.

Dhoni said that players in the country still hesitate to accept that they have some weakness when it comes to mental illness and that’s why a mental conditioning coach should constantly with the team. “In India, I feel there is still a big issue of accepting that there is some weakness when it comes to the mental aspects, but we generally term it as mental illness,” Dhoni said. Highlighting the importance of mental conditioning coach, the 38-year-old said: “Mental conditioning coach should not be the one who comes for 15 days, because when you come for 15 days, you are only sharing the experience.”