One of my theories is to be captain on the field and off the field, you need to totally enjoy each other's company. I don't like discussing cricket off the field.
— MS Dhoni
I have three dogs at home. Even after losing a series or winning a series, they treat me the same way.
I don't study cricket too much. Whatever I have learned or experienced is through cricket I've played on the field, and whatever little I have watched.
For me, opposition is just another opposition.
When people talk about South Africa, it's all about lions and elephants. But when we talk about India, we talk about tigers.
I have formed the Mahendra Singh Dhoni Charitable Trust which organises cricket tournaments in Jharkhand to identify promising cricketers so that we can help groom them, either in India or abroad.
Since 2005, I have not spent much time with my family. In fact I have spent more time at the Taj Landsend in Mumbai. It was my 100th visit recently, which means I have spent more than 400 days in that hotel, and that is a lot more than I have spent with my family.
If you play cricket for India, money is bound to come, and with IPL in and match money of the Ranjhi trophy, I think money is there. There's no good reason why you should not work hard, because at the end of the day, you want to play for your country.
For me, it's important to build good partnerships rather than score centuries. Once, you have those partnerships, you will also get centuries.
You may earn whatever money you earn as a cricketer, but you want to play for your country. At the end of the day, you want to do something special. There are plenty of people who earn 50 crores or 100 crores as businessmen or big professionals or who are really doing well in business. But what gives pleasure to your mom and dad is the fame.
I am in the hands of Deori Maa. Every time I come to Ranchi, I visit her temple. I still remember my first visit.
Getting up quite late in the morning, going and trying to clean my bikes - I have quite a few of them in Ranchi - spending some time with my family, my parents and friends. Going out for rides with my friends and having lunch or dinner at a roadside hotel - that's my favourite time-pass. These are the sort of things that really excite me.
Movies are a big part of our Indian culture.
The era of playing aggressive cricket and to have the mid-on up is gone. You now try to read the mindset of a batsman.
If you have forest, if you have green forest, the water table goes up. What happens with deforestation is the water level goes down and we all know how much importance drinking water has.
I never allow myself to be pressured.
