"We all should be proud that he was born in our country" - Murali Vijay's stunning praise for Team India legend ahead of IPL 2026 Auction

Former batter Murali Vijay heaped huge praise on Team India legend MS Dhoni ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. Dhoni was retained by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the upcoming edition.

Murali Vijay played eight IPL seasons for CSK. He also featured in all formats for India. The former batter reckoned that Dhoni had a natural and unique personality. He highlighted Dhoni's out-of-the-box thinking, such as giving the ball to Joginder Sharma in the final over of the 2007 T20 World Cup. Vijay expressed pride in the fact that Dhoni was born in India.

"Dhoni is natural and very unique. Those personalities you cannot replicate. Anybody cannot come and do what he is doing. The way he has dominated and taken the game, he was a very strong person. The way he launched those sixes, I don't think anyone else got that range as a right hander. He gave that last over to Joginder and we wont it. There may not have been logic as Harbhajan had an over as a senior. But it won us the cup as he did something out of the box. We all should be proud that he was born in our country," he said on Taruwar Kohli's YouTube channel.

Talking about CSK's legacy, Vijay revealed that Dhoni was clear with his communication and requirement from the team. He added that roles were assigned to each player clearly.

"MS gave us beautiful roles to play. My role was to score runs or I would be dropped, just kidding. It i straightforward. I am playing with Matthew Hayden, it is an opportunity for me. Muralidharan was there. It was fun. MS kept it sorted. He knew what he wanted and he was clear with his communication and body language. It was fantastic to be part of that team."

CSK is among the most successful IPL teams, having won five times. Vijay was with the team when they won in 2010 and 2011. He also scored a brilliant 52-ball 95 in the 2011 final.

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Murali Vijay on India legend's nature as captain

Further, Murali Vijay spoke about how Team India legend MS Dhoni gave him clarity. He opened up on the advice he received from the former skipper.

"MS gave me a clear picture about things, how to assess the situation, to take the game on, and put the team ahead of your own performances. He never set targets but just gave general ideas," he said.

Vijay highlighted another key attribute of Dhoni's leadership. He reflected that the Indian legend held the team together during a long IPL season, made assessments, and gave the players the freedom to perform.

"When you play a long season, you tend to lose your rhythm as a team at some point. MS is that person who will try to make sense of where we are heading. He puts in across to the team. He also gives you the breathing space to feel comfortable and perform."

For India, Vijay played 61 Tests, 17 ODIs, and nine T20Is. He made his international debut in 2008 and last featured in 2018.