It’s been years since MS Dhoni retired from worldwide cricket however his legend continues to develop. Former India participant Dinesh Mongia not too long ago recounted a narrative from the early days of Dhoni within the noughties which might go away you in thrall to the previous India captain.
Ahead of the India’s tour of Pakistan in 2005-2006, India Seniors and India A performed a sport and Mongia was captain of the India A aspect. Dhoni, sporting his well-known long-flowing mane again then, was additionally a part of that sport. Mongia not too long ago associated on a podcast how Dhoni wasn’t taken significantly by former India spinner Harbhajan Singh throughout that encounter, and the way weeks later Dhoni smashed the Pakistani bowlers to all components of the bottom in Faisalabad to make his critics eat humble pie.
Also Read: CSK CEO confirms MS Dhoni for IPL 2026, but full-season role remains uncertain
“I think I had got out and MS Dhoni went in next. Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh were sitting there and they both asked me: ‘who is this guy with the long hair?’ I told them how good he was. Harbhajan then said [kind of dismissing his praise for Dhoni] that ‘there is a lot of difference between domestic cricket and international cricket. He really can’t be that special.’
“Dhoni meanwhile out there pulled Zaheer Khan off the first ball he played and got out. Harbhanjan Singh then kind of mocked me, saying ‘there goes you legend.’ Dhoni had done very well in the previous matches for India and all. A month later when scored 150 [148 to be precise], he had shown how special he was,” Mongia said.
Don’t worry, Thala is still around with CSK!
This goes to show how enigmatic Dhoni has always been. So many times in his career, he has proved his critics wrong. In this case of course, he didn’t know what Harbhajan thought of him.
Thala may have retired from international cricket but he continues to play for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. The next edition of the high-profile league kicks off later this month, and not long ago CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan confirmed, dispelling all doubts regarding Dhoni’s participation, that the five-time IPL champion with the franchise will be seen this season too in CSK colours.
So you see, 44-year-old Dhoni continues to make the headlines though he has not been on the peak of his powers in the previous few seasons. He has actually managed to remain related, proper from the time of Mongia’s recollection which is solely outstanding.
