"It happened on the bus"- CSK youngster opens up about his first meeting with MS Dhoni during IPL 2025

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Tamil Nadu batter C Andre Siddarth has said that he first met talismanic player MS Dhoni on the team bus. The 18-year-old said that he wasn't aware that Dhoni sat in the last seat of the bus. He revealed that it was the gloveman who initiated a conversation with him.

Siddarth said that Dhoni enquired about his age and his season, and he began to slowly interact with him. The teenager said on S Badrinath's Cric it with Badri YouTube channel:

"It happened on the bus. In the bus, I actually sit in the last seat. I wasn't aware that he sat in the last seat. I was sitting, and he sat next to me. He was the one who interacted with me. I was hesitant, but he interacted with me. He asked me about my age. He asked me about my season. From there, I slowly started talking to him".

Siddharth revealed that he was a bit scared on the first day of practice with the franchise. However, after just a couple of practice sessions, he got used to being around the CSK squad.

"I was a bit nervous on the first day. I saw all of them and thought, 'how do I interact with them?'. I was a bit scared to practise in front of them. I saw all of them on TV as a youngster, as a kid. I was a bit nervous at the start, but after two to three practice sessions, I got used to being there. Facing bowlers in the nets, training with the squad, I got used to it," Siddarth said.

The young batter also revealed that head coach Stephen Fleming had told him that CSK were looking to give him a chance in the next two years. He added that the New Zealander told him to observe how the rest of the squad plays and take learnings from it. The teenager said:

"This season, they did not tell me anything like that. This season they told me openly that it was a training season. We are looking to give you a chance in the next two years. In the third practise session, Stephen Fleming interacted with me. He said we are looking at you for the next two seasons. In the first season, look to adapt. Observe others are playing and learn from it".

---

Andre Siddarth opens up about CSK vs RCB clash in IPL 2025 at Chinnaswamy Stadium

Andre Siddarth also spoke about the experience of entering the Chinnaswamy Stadium before CSK's IPL 2025 match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The 18-year-old said that he felt scared and excited at the same time after watching the fans outside the venue.

He added that the fans hurled abuses at the visiting side, and there was a hostile feeling as they entered RCB's home venue.

"It was my first time there and it felt very different. To be honest, it was scary and exciting because we were going to the ground in the bus and thousands of people were banging the bus. It was scary. It wasn't like this when we played at Chepauk or Wankhede Stadium. But it happened at Chinnaswamy Stadium. As we were entering the stadium, we were getting abused. There was a hostile feeling when we came there. It was a good experience," Siddarth said.

RCB won that fixture by two runs to complete a double over their southern neighbours for the first time in their IPL history.

Edited by Aditya Singh