A new book on Chennai Super Kings, ‘Leo—The Untold Story,’ written by senior advocate and former TNCA vice president P.S. Raman, was officially launched in the presence of former CSK skipper M.S. Dhoni in a star-studded event on Sunday.
Former India cricketer C. D. Gopinath, a member of India’s first Test-winning team, unveiled the book and musician Anirudh Ravichander received the first copy. R. Ashwin, who recently retired from international cricket, was felicitated by former India skipper K. Srikkanth.
In his welcome address, Raman spoke about how the idea of the book came about and read a passage from his work.
Speaking on the occasion, Gopinath stressed the need to ensure that cricket remains a gentleman’s game, played in the right spirit and credited Dhoni for his calm and composed nature on the field.
“My favourite IPL team is Chennai Super Kings. I pick CSK mainly because of MSD—not because of his cricketing brain but because of how he plays. He does not go strutting around the field jumping 10 feet high. He does not make obscene gestures. It makes me very uncomfortable when I see some of that,” said Gopinath.
“I think it’s very unfair and very ungentlemanly. That’s not the way it should be played. I know how successful he has been in leading his side and winning tournaments, but playing the game like cricket as it should be played matters to me more than the result. I hope the younger people emulate him.”
Ashwin, who will be in CSK colours after a decade, recalled the club’s impact on his journey and spoke about how the team still feels the same as it did when he last played for it and is cricket-oriented in its approach.
“I called M.S. (Dhoni) for my 100th Test (in Dharamshala) to hand over the memento. I wanted to make that my last Test. But he couldn’t make it. However, I didn’t think he would give me the gift of getting me back to CSK. It’s a much better one. So, thank you MS for doing it. I’m glad to be here,” he added.
CSK head coach Stephen Fleming, assistant coach Michael Hussey, and CEO K.S. Viswanathan were also present.
