‘MS Dhoni is like an emotion': D Gukesh recalls ‘watching final shot at the 2011 World Cup when I was 5'
The reigning world chess champion and the youngest one to bag the title, D Gukesh is among the most popular personalities in India currently. The GM beat Ding Liren in December last year to become the youngest world chess champion, scripting history and becoming a national hero.
Little is known about the young chess star, who reportedly is an introvert. He was recently in action in the Paris Freestyle Grand Slam event, where he failed to reach the playoffs. He will soon be in action in the upcoming Norway Open in May, where he will also face Magnus Carlsen.
Gukesh was recently interviewed by RevSportz, where he revealed that he is a MS Dhoni fan. Opening up on his support for the former India cricketer, he said, 'I remember when I was like five years old, I was watching 2011 World Cup. The final shot. It is just something. Also, for kids in general, Dhoni is like an emotion. Especially me, coming from Chennai, he playing for CSK. So, from childhood, I admired him. Also, like, I can connect with him on how he behaves on the field, always composed, calm in the critical situations.'
'Something that I try to do on the chess board as well. And recently, also, (Novak) Djokovic. I really admire him', he further added.
Gukesh also had Paddy Upton as his mental conditioning coach for the World Championship. Upton has previously worked with India, including Dhoni's 2011 World Cup-winning team. Upton revealed that Gukesh's strategy was to tire out Liren if necessary, and to make the Chinese GM create mistakes. 'Yeah, we tried. I mean, when you play a World Championship and prepare for 6-7 months for all kinds of scenarios and their reactions. And we thought it will be a good idea, with Ding not being at his absolute best. We just wanted to keep him at the board and prolong the game and let him make a mistake,' Gukesh said.
'Especially after his first few games, where he was struggling to stay at the board.'
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