“Papa se darr bohot lagta tha” - MS Dhoni reflects on a childhood shaped by fear of his father

MS Dhoni, the cricketing legend known for his unflappable demeanor on the field, recently peeled back the layers of his enigmatic persona to share a glimpse into his formative years in Ranchi.

In a candid conversation with social media personality Raj Shamani, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) icon opened up about the profound influence of his father, Pan Singh Dhoni, whose strict and regimented approach left an indelible mark on his life. 

"Papa se darr bohot lagta tha (I used to be really scared of my father). He was very strict. He was regimented; always supposed to be on time. But that’s also why I am regimented. It’s not like he used to beat us or something. But that fear was there. My friends would climb walls in the colony, but I never dared. If my father sees, then we are gone! We never knew what the consequences would be, but we were afraid nevertheless," Dhoni said as quoted in a podcast with Shamani.

Growing up in the close-knit colony of Ranchi, Dhoni’s childhood was a world apart from the chaos of modern fame. The school, nestled within the colony, was staffed by teachers who had taught his elder brother a decade earlier and knew the Dhoni family well. Mischief, as Dhoni put it, was out of the question.

"When we were kids, there was no insecurity in life. We had the same routine day after day and there was no scope for insecurity. I don’t think we were insecure about anything. Everything was the same, there was no showoff, no mobile phones around!"

"We had a very regimented childhood. The school was in the colony itself which meant that there was no badmasshi in younger days. My teachers had also taught my elder brother, and there was an 10-year age gap between us. So they literally knew the full family. The only competitive thing in early days was games we played in my colony, where if you lost one day, you had to win the next day!" Dhoni revealed.

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MS Dhoni and CSK Under the Pump in IPL 2025

Dhoni’s revelations come at a time when CSK are navigating a challenging Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025) season. With just one win in four matches, the team is currently sitting ninth on the IPL 2025 points table.

His latest performance - an unbeaten 30 runs off 26 balls against Delhi Capitals (DC) - could not salvage a 25-run loss, but it did little to dim the fervor of his fans. The presence of his parents at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium during that match only fueled speculation about his retirement, though Dhoni remains characteristically unfazed by such chatter, clearing the rumours in the same podcast.

Dhoni would aim to add life to CSK’s campaign when they face Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Chandigarh on April 8.

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