How did MS Dhoni get selected to play for India? Syed Kirmani discloses entire story

Former Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni, who made his international debut back in 2004, soon went on to become an indispensable part of the Indian team. The 38-year old has taken Indian cricket to great heights as he led the country to T20 World Cup 2007m ODI World Cup 2011 and Champions Trophy 2013 triumph. Now, after a decorated career of 16 years, MS Dhoni has risen to the stature of Sachin Tendulkar since a majority of the cricketing community considers him virtually as a 'demi-god'. 

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Syed Kirmani reveals how MS Dhoni was selected into the Indian team

MS Dhoni seems to be in the twilight of his career. While there are a lot of conjectures being made on his retirement, former Indian chief selector Syed Kirmani, who brought MS Dhoni into the national side, has narrated how Dhoni was selected in the India team under Sourav Ganguly's captaincy, although this part was largely depicted in the MS Dhoni movie in 2016 titled 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story'. While speaking to Hindustan Times, Syed Kirmani said that he has never disclosed his role in picking MS Dhoni in the national side before.

Syed Kirmani said that he and Pranab Roy, who was his co-selector from the East Zone, were watching a Ranji Trophy match once. He added that he doesn't remember the match as it was a long time ago, but he said Pranab Roy is proof. Syed Kirmani further said that Roy told him that there is a keeper-batsman from Jharkhand, who is a very promising youngster and deserves selection.

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Syed Kirmani further said that he asked Roy whether Dhoni was keeping wickets in this match. Roy replied that he was fielding at fine leg. Syed Kirmani further revealed that is when he got MS Dhoni’s stats from the last two years to look into. When he looked at the stats, he was stunned after looking at MS Dhoni's terrific consistency in his batting ability. Syed Kirmani went on to say that without even seeing him keep wickets, he suggested that MS Dhoni be selected for East Zone straightaway. And the rest is history.

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MS Dhoni has been on a sabbatical since the end of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in England where India were knocked out by New Zealand in the semi-final. MS Dhoni was supposed to make a comeback in the IPL 2020 where he was set to lead Chennai Super Kings (CSK). However, the tournament was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

The cash-rich league was considered as a crucial competition to bring MS Dhoni back into the scheme of things. There is no clear picture regarding the 38-year old's future with the Indian team. It will be interesting to see how Dhoni's India career pans out if the IPL 2020 is called off.

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IMAGE COURTESY: BCCI TWITTER