'Massive boost to any opposition if MS Dhoni isn't playing' – Rohit Sharma

Chennai Super Kings have lost just four games in the 2019 Indian Premier League, and two of those have come the matches Dhoni missed out with illness: the first against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad and on Friday against Mumbai Indians in Chennai.

Tellingly, Chennai have lost both of those games convincingly. Against Hyderabad they conceded a six-wicket defeat, and lost to Mumbai by 46 runs despite chasing a seemingly modest 155/4. The void left by captain Dhoni was felt in both matches. Rohit acknowledged that the stalwart's absence was beneficial to his team's chances.

"It's a massive boost to any opposition if MS Dhoni is not around," said Rohit, who himself scored a Player of the Match-worthy 67 from 48 balls on a tough wicket.

"It's as simple as that because his presence does a lot for the team and of course when you don't have him when you're chasing a score, it becomes slightly difficult as well. He's been doing that so many years for CSK and [for] the other teams he has played for."

Chennai coach Stephen Fleming too spoke of the impact of Dhoni's absence. "He's a great player and a great leader, so whenever you take that out of your side ... and he's been a constant for us for so many years that you just get into the rhythms of having him there," he said in the post-match press conference.

Over-reliance on any one player is never healthy, and Fleming knows that. He said Chennai were trying to address that issue but have been falling short. "When you take a leader like that out, there are going to be some holes to fill. It's not that we're not trying to fill it, it's just that the hole is quite big. It takes a massive effort to lift the team up when you have one of your best players unavailable, so there's a psychological factor as well."

As captain, wicket-keeper and key middle-order batsman, Dhoni's value to the Chennai outfit can't be overstated. But his value to the Indian limited-overs side is almost at great because although he is no longer captain, he advises Virat Kohli in crunch situations and often adjusts the field setting.

Apart from that, his batting record speaks for itself. With the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019 just round the corner, India will hope that the talisman regains and maintains full fitness through the course of that tournament.