Former India cricketer turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra recently recalled his first meeting with legendary India captain MS Dhoni from 2004 as well. However, Chopra was picked for an India A tour in Kenya and Zimbabwe where he met Dhoni for the first time. Recalling, young Dhoni’s batting style, he shared how his stunning strokeplay left everyone surprised. He also mentioned how Dhoni played an audacious reverse sweep against Pakistan speedster Iftikhar Anjum who had already played international cricket as well.
“So that was a very different Dhoni – carefree but not careless. Carefree because he was very confident and happy with where he was, and not careless because when he got an opportunity, in Kenya and not in Zimbabwe, he batted like a man possessed. Before him, I never saw a batter hit a reverse sweep against a bowler. There was a Pakistan bowler named Iftikhar Anjum, who used to bowl at 140+kmph and already played for his country…Dhoni hit him for a four at fine leg. The bowler changed his field, sent back the fine leg fielder and called in the one at third man, but Dhoni smashed the next ball for a six over the third man region. I was like, ‘Who is this guy?’,” Chopra told Raj Shamani on his YouTube show.
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Aakash Chopra also opened up about the good nature of Dhoni as he even bowled to his competitor Dinesh Karthik to help him practice as well.
“He never used to bat in the nets. He, in fact, used to bowl to Dinesh Karthik, his competitor. He wasn’t getting the opportunity to play, but he wanted to keep himself involved. I told him, ‘Why are you bowling to Karthik? Why aren’t you batting? If he keeps batting and does all the scoring, when will you bat?’ But he replied saying, ‘No, I just want to bowl because I’m enjoying it.’ He is just talented. In fact, he does not practice keeping that much, but his hands are faster than anyone in the world even now,” he further added.
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However, MS Dhoni had a stunning run in the Kenya Triangular Tournament 2004 as he finished as the highest run scorer with 362 runs from six innings which came at an average of 72.40 and a strike rate of 90.15. He registered two tons and one fifty and helped India A emerge victorious in the tournament as well.
