Former India captain and cricket legend MS Dhoni has voiced serious concern regarding the deteriorating fitness levels among children and young people in India. Speaking at a Newburgh event on Monday, Dhoni highlighted the growing lack of physical activity and increasing dependence on digital devices as key reasons behind this troubling trend.
“Even My Daughter Isn’t Very Active,” Says MS Dhoni
Dhoni pointed out that today’s generation is becoming increasingly detached from outdoor sports and physical exercise. Citing his daughter Ziva as an example, he admitted that even within his own family, physical activity has taken a back seat.
“Nowadays it’s not the age that’s increasing—it’s the inactivity that’s rising,”
Dhoni said.
“𝑨𝒔 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒅𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒑𝒉𝒚𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆; 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒔.”
MS Dhoni emphasised the importance of incorporating fitness and sports into everyday life, particularly for children. He urged families and communities to find effective ways to encourage regular physical activity.
Digital Distractions Keeping Youth Away from Fitness
According to the former skipper, the overuse of digital gadgets is a key reason why children and youth are spending less time on the playground. He emphasised that this issue is not just about health, but also a broader social concern that needs immediate attention.
“𝑷𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆,” 𝑫𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒊 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒅. “𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆. 𝑾𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒙𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒆.”
Will MS Dhoni Return in IPL 2026?
In IPL 2025, Chennai Super Kings failed to reach the playoffs despite high expectations. Dhoni briefly resumed captaincy when Ruturaj Gaikwad was sidelined due to injury, but couldn’t lead the team to a successful campaign.
CSK struggled with consistency and was eliminated from the tournament after a string of defeats. As for Dhoni’s future in IPL 2026, nothing has been confirmed yet. Whether the franchise retains him or not, fans will have to wait until he decides whether to participate.
Dhoni’s recent public statements reflect not only his concern for cricket and fitness but also his evolving role as a social voice encouraging healthier lifestyles among Indians.
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