You'll only realize how much Dhoni is missed when he goes: Morgan

After the seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai, Dhoni said on Friday night that he is in the "last phase of his career", reinforcing the widespread belief that he would quit the game after the ongoing IPL.

New Delhi: Mahendra Singh Dhoni has played a huge role in getting key performance from his players in the Chennai Super King camp and they will miss the talismanic skipper once he hangs up his boots, said former England captain Eoin Morgan. After the seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai, Dhoni said on Friday night that he is in the "last phase of his career", reinforcing the widespread belief that he would quit the game after the ongoing IPL. Morgan, who led England to the ODI World Cup title in 2019, is in awe of Dhoni's leadership qualities and his calmness on the ground.

"You can see how animated he is during the game, just after the game, he's propelling all the information that he's taken over the years. It's great to see," Morgan was quoted as saying by JioCinema. "It's great to see these guys (teammates), they are very grateful for him as a leader, but you'll only realize how much he's missed when he goes." The 36-year-old former left-handed batter said CSK players would miss Dhoni badly if he decides to call time on his IPL career after the ongoing edition.

"That's going to be the effect. His (Dhoni) impact of leading key players in the side who are key performers for the CSK at the moment will miss him when he finishes," Morgan feels. Morgan also complimented CSK for their stronghold at their home ground and the positive leadership and guidance of Dhoni and coach Stephen Fleming. "The whole lot of the success is based around winning at the home ground, they have it nailed to a tee.

"You go through the string of names, the spinners, all-rounders, like you said, plug-n-play. At the back of all this are the characters, the personalities, managed brilliantly by MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming," he said. The Englishman was also full of praise for New Zealand opener Devon Conway, who hit a brilliant 57-ball unbeaten 77 to guide CSK home against SRH on Friday. (PTI)