Replying to a query on his baby daughter Ziva, Mahendra Singh Dhoni said he missed her badly on long Australian tour.
"When she was born I was not in India, had not seen her. It was a tough period," he said. Dhoni said the birth of a child brings changes in people’s lives. "Your life does change with the kind of smile the baby gives you," he said. Dhoni further said, "She doesn't care whether I play for my country or play for a good franchisee like Chennai. She wants to cry, she cries. It gives a very good feeling."
Dhoni became father just a week ahead of the World Cup in Australia. His wife Sakshi gave birth to a baby girl in February. As far as the CSK and IPL is concerned, Dhoni said the camaraderie between the young and the senior players was key to the consistent good show of his side in the cash-rich tournament.
"The reason for CSK's consistency has been the gelling of young and senior cricket players with he help of support staff," Dhoni said in a 'Meet and Greet' event organised by UST Global, a leading IT services and solutions provider, which is also principal sponsor of CSK. Answering to a query that not many youngsters are coming out from CSK compared to other IPL teams, Dhoni said it is difficult to drop senior players to accommodate youngsters, but CSK has given some good youngsters who are representing India.
"We had Jadeja coming in as a youngster. We also had Ishwar Pandey, Mohit Sharma, who is playing for India. We also had Pawan Negi. We have young pool of players but we cannot make senior players like Brendon McCullum to sit outside – it is always a difficult choice," he said.
Dhoni further said to have senior players like Suresh Raina and Mike Hussey in the side is beneficial for youngsters as they learn many tricks of the trade. "It is very beneficial to have senior players like Hussey who can guide young players. That is what we have been doing and that is why we have a pool of talent in our team," he added.
