MS Dhoni's legacy on the field remains unmatched and it won't be wrong to put him right at the helm among the best skippers India has ever witnessed. Under Dhoni's leadership India won their first and only T20 World Cup. Four years later the wicketkeeper-batter led India to another World Cup glory, the 50-over World Cup, and then the ICC Champions Trophy back in 2013.
Not just that but Dhoni also remains as one of the most successful captains in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with current India skipper Rohit Sharma being the only one above him. Dhoni led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to four IPL titles and it's obvious for aspiring cricketers to be tempted to do things like he does.
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In one such episode, budding CSK cricketer Shaik Rasheed shared an incident, which left him emotional. Rasheed, who was part of 2022 World Cup-winning U-19 group, revealed how he yearned to get his hands on a ‘Reebok’ bat because his idol Dhoni used one.
“When I was around eight years old, it was my birthday and I told my dad that I wanted a Reebok bat. It was Dhoni bhai who used to use that bat and we didn’t have that much money that time. So we could not buy that bat. After that, for an entire day, I was just crying,” said Rasheed.
{{/usCountry}}“When I was around eight years old, it was my birthday and I told my dad that I wanted a Reebok bat. It was Dhoni bhai who used to use that bat and we didn’t have that much money that time. So we could not buy that bat. After that, for an entire day, I was just crying,” said Rasheed.
{{/usCountry}}He also remembered another incident when he was a ball boy and saw someone use the Reebok bat, how desperate he was to do the same.
“I was a ball boy during one of the games where I saw someone use that Reebok bat and somehow I couldn’t control my emotions. I really wanted to play with that bat,” Rasheed said further.
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The youngster was roped in by CSK for ₹20 Lakhs in IPL 2023 auctions and is using the opportunity to learn a lot from his skipper Dhoni.
“Mahi bhai said “Hi”. It was special for me. First I met him on the bus and then on the ground. Mahi Bhai told me, “Just do whatever you know.” He asked me to perform to my ability,” he said.
“After I finished the practice I learned how to prepare for the T20 format. When I was bowling, Mahi Bhai used to advise me on what I can do. And he would give suggestions after hitting the ball as well,” he added.
CSK are currently placed at the top of the table, having won five out of the seven matches they've played so far. They will now meet Rajasthan Royals in their next fixture, which is scheduled to be played at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Thursday.
Rasheed was one of the key members in India's U-19 squad and had scored a half-century in the finals against England, which India colts won by four wickets.