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Cricket PlayersAfter playing only 3 matches, Dhoni bhai told me 'you will be in the World Cup team': India star recalls debut series
In 2016, a promising all-rounder made his debut under Dhoni, who went on to make quite the name for himself. He revealed how after playing only three matches, MS Dhoni guaranteed him a place in India's upcoming World Cup squad.
MS Dhoni is responsible for giving Indian cricket its current set of superstars. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, R Ashwin… all made their India debuts under Dhoni, went on to achieve great things professionally and lift Indian cricket to unprecedented heights. Kohli and Rohit are two of world cricket's best batters, while Ashwin is the greatest Test spinner. As for Jadeja, he is arguably the best all-rounder in the world, right up there with England Test captain Ben Stokes.
In 2016, another promising all-rounder made his debut under Dhoni, who went on to make quite the name for himself. Out of the Indian team for a while, Hardik Pandya made a triumphant return to top-flight cricket in the 2022 Indian Premier League, not only by performing with the bat and ball, but took it a step further by leading Gujarat Titans to an IPL title in his maiden stint as captain.
Recalling his India debut, Hardik said the support he received by MS Dhoni was unparalleled. Bowling against Australia, Hardik went for 21 runs in his first over, and while any other captain would have hesitated to give a youngster another over, Dhoni did, and thanks to the confidence shown by his captain, finished with 2/37 from three overs.
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"When I joined the Indian team, I saw guys whom I had seen growing up – Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Ashish Nehra. Even before I played for India, they were the stars. For me, when I went there it was a big thing. So obviously the kind of debut I had – I think I am the first cricketer who had gone for 21 runs in his first over – I genuinely felt that ok, this might be my last over. But I was very blessed and lucky to play under Mahi bhai who showed lot of trust in us which has helped us reach where we did," Hardik told SGTV podcast.
Hardik did not get to bat in any of the three matches but he did pick up three wickets. However, so impressed by Hardik was Dhoni that the former India captain guaranteed the all-rounder of a spot in India’s World Cup squad, which then was still a couple of months away.
"Just after the third game of my international career, Mahi bhai told me you will be the World Cup team. So for me, to play World Cup or to get to know that in the third game I just got to know about this. I did not even bat in that game but he assured me that you have expressed yourself. Yeah, it was just a dream come true," added Hardik.
