Former India skipper MS Dhoni may be happily retired and enjoying his post-cricket life with his wife Sakshi, but there was a time when he was in a relationship with south actress Raai Laxmi.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Raai Laxmi reportedly dated each other for a while in 2009 before breaking up as things didn't work out between the pair.
According to her own admission, Raai Laxmi was completely smitten with MS Dhoni and even went on to state that she would readily marry the then-India captain if he proposed to her.
However, years after the couple broke up, the Tamil movie star described her affair with Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a “scar” that would continue to haunt her for the rest of her life.
Talking to a media outlet, Raai Laxmi said in 2014, “I've begun to believe that my relationship with Dhoni is like a stain or a scar which won't go away for a long time. I am surprised that people still have the energy and patience left to talk about it even now. Every time TV channels dig into Dhoni's past, they make it a point to bring up our relationship. I dread to think that someday my kids in future will see it on TV and ask me about it!”
“I have had three or four relationships after Dhoni, but no one seems to have noticed it,” she added.
“I knew him really well and don't know if I can call it a relationship because it never worked out. We still have respect for each other. He has moved on and gotten married. That's the end of the story. I am a very happy person right now and work is my priority,” Raai Laxmi revealed.
Three years after this interaction, Raai Laxmi was again prodded about her relationship with MS Dhoni.
At this, the starlet got irked and responded, “Who's he?”
On being further quipped, she said, “This needs to have a full stop. It was a long time ago, he is happily married now, he has kids. Everybody knows everybody in today's world and you may end up with a person tomorrow whom you don't know today. It is the process of life and certain things don't work out, and then you have to move on.”
“It is not about dating or not dating. But people had quickly taken it to a level that I was going to get married to him- and that was simply not true. The hype got us into an awkward space and that is why I do not talk to the media much about thus– but I am talking a bit now. I do not want to speak about him in detail because I respect him a lot,” she elaborated.
Speaking about MS Dhoni's cricketing career, he is the only skipper to have won all three ICC trophies – T20 World Cup (2007), ODI World Cup (2011), and the ICC Champions Trophy (2013).
Besides, he also powered the Indian cricket team to the top rank in Test cricket, the five-day version of the sport, in 2009.
The Ranchi-born cricketer is known for remaining calm under pressure, thus earning him the moniker of “Captain Cool” from his millions of fans worldwide.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni retired from international cricket in 2020, which he announced on India's Independence Day, August 15.
He is widely regarded as the greatest finisher in One-Day Internationals (ODIs), the 50-over format of the game. MS Dhoni amassed 10,773 runs in 350 ODIs at a phenomenal average of 50.57, including 10 centuries and 73 fifties.
MS Dhoni will return to action in April, captaining Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Last year, the iconic cricketer confirmed that he would lead the side during the 2023 edition of the elite T20 tournament.
“It will be unfair to not play in Chennai and say thank you. Mumbai is one place where, as a team and as an individual, I have got a lot of love and affection. But, you know it won’t be nice to the CSK fans,” Mahendra Singh Dhoni said during the 2022 IPL.
“And also, hopefully next year the teams will get an opportunity to travel, so it will be like a thank all the different places where we will be playing games at different venues,” he added.
“Whether it will be my last year or not that's a big question because you know we can't really predict about something two years down the line, but definitely I'll be working hard to come back strong next year,” MS Dhoni argued.
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