"Would've Been Stupid If...": Steve Smith Opens Up On Leading MS Dhoni In Indian Premier League

When Steve Smith became the captain of Rising Pune Supergiants ahead of the 2017 Indian Premier League (IPL), the focus was on how the Australian superstar would lead a side that had MS Dhoni, one of the most successful IPL captains, as its member. Now, as Smith returns to the IPL 2023 as a commentator, he recollected his experiences of working with Dhoni.

"Of course, you know he's been able to achieve so much over such a long period of time, he's going to go down as one of the best leaders to play the game for sure. So, you know, when I got the call to say that they wanted me to captain, it was a little bit daunting. But that season, MSD was just wonderful. You know, he helped in any way that he could and, he's a terrific guy. It was a great experience being able to captain him, but also very daunting as well,” Smith told Star Sports, IPL's official broadcasters.

Smith also spoke on the emotions he went through when he got selected as the captain of the RPS team and how he felt leading a side which had MS Dhoni in it, he said: "Yeah, I, I didn't really know what to expect initially, you know, MS had captained every team he played for, obviously throughout the IPL with Chennai, every season should I say. But yeah, when they came and asked me, I was a little bit shocked first, and then I didn't really know what to say. It was like, have you spoken to MS about this? This is a little bit strange from my side, but after we sorted everything out, MS was just wonderful. And the way he helped me and helped guide that team that year was incredible. And yeah, I couldn't thank him enough.:

Smith recalled how it was to work on the field with Dhoni, he said: "Well, it was a while ago now, but yeah, look out on the field. He was