NEW DELHI: The Chennai Super Kings' dressing room culture has long been hailed as one of the strongest in the IPL, and former CSK batter Michael Hussey has now offered a heartwarming glimpse into the man at the centre of it all - MS Dhoni.

According to Hussey, Dhoni's leadership extended far beyond the field. His room, he revealed, was a 24x7 open sanctuary where players gathered to unwind, bond, and talk cricket.

From late-night conversations to shared meals and even shisha sessions, Dhoni's space became the unofficial hub of team camaraderie - a place where friendships deepened and the foundation of CSK's dynasty was quietly built.

"Dhoni is just the most amazing guy. His room is available open 24 hours a day. Anyone can go up there and just sit. He has got his lounge room, players just sit around, they start talking cricket, some of them like the shisha, you know, the flavoured tobacco stuff. That is their way of socialising. Credit to Dhoni, he opens his room up - lots of players go up, they bring food up, it is fantastic," Hussey said on The Overlap Cricket podcast.

The account mirrors an earlier insight from former CSK batter George Bailey, who had revealed that Dhoni regularly organised laid-back hookah gatherings to help youngsters feel at home in the squad. Bailey had explained that Dhoni's casual, no-hierarchy environment fostered trust and belonging - a core element of CSK's culture for years.

Hussey added another intriguing nugget about Dhoni's routine: despite being regarded as one of the finest wicketkeepers in cricket history, Dhoni rarely - if ever - trained specifically for wicketkeeping during practice sessions.

"I think the only time I've seen him catch a ball was when we wanted to knock in a new pair of gloves. I've never seen him practise his keeping ever. But he bats a long, long time - he hits thousands and thousands of balls," Hussey revealed.