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Everybody has views and it should be respected: Dhoni

by Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on

"Representing the country is the best motivation for me." © BCCI

Since he gave up captaincy, Mahendra Singh Dhoni isn't obligated to turn up for press conferences during matches or series - something which he was bound to do while leading the side. And that, for him at least, has been a welcome break. The former India captain has been under fire from several quarters and it may seem he's accustomed to it.

After each failure, several heads rear up criticising Dhoni and questioning his place at least in the Twenty20 International side. While he may say he doesn't see or read what's being written about him, Dhoni is well aware of the chatter about him. Speaking at the launch of his academy in Dubai on Saturday (November 11), Dhoni acknowledged that he takes all the criticism constructively.

"Everybody has views in life and it should be respected," he said. "I have always felt that sports is one way of learning about life. How you deal with disappointments, how you are supposed to come in front of people when you have either you have won or lost a game. At the same time, how you stand up to criticism, and how you have an open mind about learning and improving yourself."

Dhoni retired from Test cricket in 2014 and has been a vital cog in India's limited-overs side. However, with his hitting and finishing prowess on the wane, and the expectations still sky high, his failures are often over scrutinised. With nothing to prove to anyone, Dhoni said it's the drive to represent the country that keeps him going.

"Representing the country is the best motivation for me," he pointed out. "We play cricket for only a span of time. We play for one year to 15 years, some play for 20 years. But in a lifespan, say you live for 70 years, 10-15 years is nothing.

"The only thing I can say is that I am representing my country. My biggest motivation is being part of the Indian cricket team. I have always believed that the process is more important than the result. I have never thought about the results. I have always believed in what is the right thing to do at that moment.

"I have always been involved in the process, and have never burdened myself with what if the result does not go my way. At the end of the day when the match gets over, if I look into the mirror and say to myself that I have tried my best, then I am satisfied."

© Cricbuzz

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