Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s 15-year-long international career saw him rise through the ranks as an unorthodox wicket-keeper batsman to one of Indian cricket’s all-time greats. He’s the most successful captain the country has seen and a revered figure in international cricket as "Captain Cool."
Former India cricketer Syed Saba Karim revealed one such instance in the commentary box, about the emergence of Dhoni, before his call-up to the national team.
Karim recalled the first time he met Dhoni and how he became familiar with his skillsets after becoming a selector for Bihar in the Ranji Trophy. “My story is very interesting. The first time I saw M.S. Dhoni, it was his second year in the Ranji Trophy. He used to play for Bihar. I saw him batting and keeping, and I still remember while he was batting, he had that brilliance which we even saw later, playing big lofted shots to a spinner or a pace bowler. Even for wicket-keeping, the footwork that one should have was lacking a bit. We worked with him on this at that time, and he still remembered what he was taught then. When we used to chat, he used to speak about it. It was a turning point in MS’s career where he actually got going. In one-dayers, we started to let him open because his batting was so strong and he used to get quick runs,” said Saba Karim on JioCinema.
