Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players'I met Mahi Bhai in the lift. He asked me to be ready': India batter recalls MS Dhoni's special message ahead of debut
The India batter made his debut in 2016, and while it may not have lasted as long as he would have wished for, the player recalled a special incident between him and the then-captain Dhoni on the eve of the match.
The legendary MS Dhoni has been responsible for giving Indian cricket some of its biggest match-winners. The current stars of Indian cricket – Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya – they all made their debuts under Dhoni's captaincy and, even though with some it took some time, all five emerged to become big-match players. From starting off as promising youngsters, all these aforementioned players are today the seniors of the Indian team, and are certified starters in the Playing XI when it comes to a big tournament.
However, not all players to have started their careers under Dhoni, went all the way. Many came and faded – Stuart Binny, Mohit Sharma, Rishi Dhawan, Barinder Sran to name a few. In this list is another player that has been a household name in domestic cricket but ended up playing only three matches for India, Mandeep Singh. Mandeep, a domestic veteran for Punjab, made his India debut in 2016, and while it may not have lasted as long as he would have wished for, the batter recalled a special incident between him and the then-captain Dhoni on the eve of the match.
"I was playing in the IPL when I found out about my selection. My father always used to tell me, if I play cricket, I must play for India. I met Mahi Bhai in the lift one day prior to my debut and he asked me to be ready for the next day. Being on the ground was surreal," Mandeep was quoted as saying in the ShareChat Audio Chatroom session- 'CricChat powered by Parimatch'.
In the three matches he played for India, Mandeep scored 31, 52 not out and 4, but after the Zimbabwe series, he was dropped and is yet to be back in contention for a national team recall. Mandeep would go back to India's domestic structure and the IPL, where he played for several teams, including the Royal Challengers Bangalore with Virat Kohli.
"When I joined RCB, I was shocked to see Virat Kohli's intensity towards training. His fitness has been instrumental in making him a consistent performer in T20 cricket. It has helped the bowlers improve and has helped test cricket overall," Mandeep added.
