I remember a couple of shots he played against Bangladesh. Sourav Ganguly was sitting next to me. I told Sourav: “Iss player ke bat swing mein kuch alag hai (there is something different about his bat swing), there is something special.” Dhoni had not scored many runs (12), but by one shot he hit, you could make out that he had the ability; one could judge from the sound of the bat hitting the ball. I had also seen him in the nets. To hit well in the nets and to do so in the match are quite different tasks. But, he did it.
For me, his biggest impact on Indian cricket is that he has inspired children to pick up the bat, take up the game and be like him. If you see every generation, there have been players who have motivated youngsters to do what they did. His name will be on that list. That is his contribution to Indian cricket.
This story is from the August 30, 2020 edition of THE WEEK.
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This story is from the August 30, 2020 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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