Dhoni-fan Gukesh reveals how cricketer ‘helped him’ in his chess career

The youngest world champion in the hory of chess, Gukesh, had a memorable visit to the Chepauk stadium even if the Chennai Super Kings were not in action at the time. A self-confessed CSK fan, Gukesh visited the stadium before the Indian Premier League 2025 started.
And while he did not get to meet his idol Mahendra Singh Dhoni, he was gifted a CSK jersey another Chennai cricket icon, Ravichandran Ashwin, who told the teenager that he was excited to see what the future holds for him on the chess board.
Ashwin and Gukesh played a friendly game of chess, where Gukesh won with black pieces.
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Gukesh plays a friendly game of chess against Ravichandran Ashwin at the Chepauk stadium where CSK play their IPL matches. (Screenshot: CSK YouTube)
In an interview with the YouTube channel of CSK, Gukesh spoke about his admiration for Dhoni and also spoke of how the former India captain had influenced him.
“MS Dhoni, from my childhood, is a sportsperson that I really admire. Till date, he is the one! How he doesn’t react to anything that happens and how he is able to calmly think in any situation. In the highest-pressure situations, he’s able to think with a clear mind. Seeing (Dhoni do) these things since childhood, I felt like I have to emulate it in my own craft. In that sense he really inspired me because I don’t really react to stuff much. I’m good at handling pressure. I think just because I have been seeing him since childhood, there’s a connection that I have. In that sense he’s also really helped me in my career, not just inspiring but also in terms of me trying to emulate his style. There are moments during high-pressure situations where my mind is going crazy, I tend to think in a match how did Dhoni handle so much of pressure? Dhoni had said this in an interview that he tries to do the simple things and keep his mind clear in difficult situations. I try to create this calmness in myself so I can do the right things even in those moments,” Gukesh said before revealing that when he was younger, he would try and emulate Dhoni’s hairstyles.
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“Since childhood I am a huge Dhoni fan. Back when I was following cricket a lot, Dhoni matches for sure I used to watch! Although I have always wanted to visit, but this is my first time in Chepauk! I’ve always wanted to come visit and watch a few matches, but usually during the season I’m playing matches,” Gukesh added.