MS Dhoni Draws Parallels Between Cricket Pressure & JEE Expectations in ALLEN Online Series
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In a candid and surprisingly fun conversation, former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni sat down with two bright JEE toppers to talk about something every student knows too well: pressure.
The third episode of ALLEN Online’s inspiring series Rise to the Top drops tonight at 7 pm on their YouTube channel. This time, Dhoni is chatting with Ahmad Shayan from Uttar Pradesh (now at IIT Bombay) and Yogita Goyal from Haryana (now at IIT Roorkee). The episode is already generating buzz because Dhoni doesn’t just give advice — he shares real, raw insights from his own career while relating them directly to the insane expectations students face during JEE.
Dhoni drew a straight line between the tension of a World Cup final and the pressure cooker environment of JEE. “Just like in cricket, where the whole country is watching a crucial match, students often feel the same weight during exams because families and friends are looking at the result,” he said. He explained that most of the pressure actually comes from obsessing over the outcome instead of focusing on the task right in front of you.
The former captain stressed the importance of staying in the moment. “Take it one ball at a time, or in your case, one topic at a time,” he told the students. He also opened up about mistakes, saying they are inevitable but the real winners are those who own them and keep improving.
There was a lighter, heart-warming moment too. Dhoni picked up a bat and played a quick game of “hand cricket” with Ahmad and Yogita — learning the rules from them and laughing along like any regular uncle. It showed his easy connect with young people and broke the serious vibe perfectly.
Both students shared their own journeys — how they handled competition, stayed honest about their preparation, and focused on consistency rather than just the final rank. Yogita and Ahmad spoke about self-awareness and daily effort being the real game-changers, something Dhoni nodded along to enthusiastically.
Through the Rise to the Top series, ALLEN Online is trying to do something different: bring real role models into students’ lives so they can learn the mindset needed to handle pressure, not just the syllabus. The first two episodes already struck a chord with lakhs of students; this one with Dhoni is expected to be even bigger.
If you’re a JEE aspirant (or know one) who sometimes feels the weight of expectations is too much, tonight’s episode at 7 pm might be exactly what you need to watch. It’s not another motivational lecture — it’s a real conversation between a legend and two students who’ve been there.
