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The dedication of the former captain MS Dhoni for the Indian team is known to everyone. He always puts his country ahead of any personal occasions and is always willing to give his 100 percent. The Chairman of selectors MSK Prasad revealed one such story where Dhoni was willing to do anything to play against Pakistan.
The Story
India were set to play against the arch rivals Pakistan in the 2016 Asia Cup but the then Indian skipper MS Dhoni suffered an injury before the game and certain clouds were hovering about his participation in the game. Prasad was worried about the well being of Dhoni and he revealed the whole story at the Tamil Nadu Sports Journalists Association (TNSJA) annual awards on Sunday.
“While training at the gym late in the night, Dhoni picked up weights and suddenly there was a catch in his back and fell with the weight. Thankfully, the weight did not fall on him. He could not walk, he was literally crawling. He pressed the alarm bell, and the medical staff immediately came and attended him. He was taken on a stretcher,” Prasad told.
“So, I went to Dhoni’s room to know what the issue was. He said, ‘don’t worry MSK bhai.’ I even asked him what should I tell the scribes, and the answer again was ‘don’t worry MSK bhai.’ I asked him whether we should call for a replacement, and he again told me not to worry,” he added.
“There was so much pressure before a big match. The next morning I went to his room and he told me not to worry. But I felt things were not right. (As a selector) I couldn’t take Dhoni’s words for granted, so I called up the then chief selector Sandeep Patil and told him the situation. Immediately, Parthiv Patel was sent in as a replacement. By evening, Parthiv had joined the team.”
“Dhoni said he was trying to walk. I was thinking how could he even think of playing when he could barely walk. Dhoni looked at me and said, ‘don’t worry, you have anyway got Parthiv without telling me. So, you are safe.”
“Before the team was announced in the afternoon, Dhoni was all dressed up for the game. He called me to his room and asked me why was I worrying so much? Then he said, even if my one leg is not there, I will still play against Pakistan,” Prasad concluded.
To feature in an India-Pakistan match is always a dream for every cricketer of both the countries. MS Dhoni had featured in plenty of such clashes before the incident yet he wasn’t ready to give up on a single occasion of appearing in the marquee clash.
