5 cricketers who idolise the legendary MS Dhoni

In an age where Afghanistan are no more seen as underdogs and Australia are struggling even at home, the player-motivation factor is doing the job for the top-teams these days. Times have surely changed and it is for the better even if the results indicate otherwise.

The motivation level of the youngsters and their desire to succeed at the highest level is what determines a game and the team that carries a higher magnitude of pushing-factors, eventually wins the contest. However, for most of these players, it’s their hunger to become like their idols and an idol has the power to provide the required amount of motivation when no one else can.

In the past, it was Sachin who served as an idol and now it’s none other than MS Dhoni (talking about Indian role-models). Having said that, let’s have a look at the 5 players who idolise Dhoni.

Nurul Hasan Sohan

The Bangladeshi prospect had an ICC CT 2017 to remember even though he didn’t play a single game. Nurul got to spend time in the experienced Bangladeshi dressing room and more importantly, he got to interact with the best wicket-keeper in the international circuit, MS Dhoni.

Prior to the warm-up game against India, Hasan spent quite some time with the Indian great. Talking about the way wicket-keepers should bat, Dhoni advised him to play as per his potential and not get too far ahead of himself. Eye-feet coordination is an important aspect of wicket-keeping as per Dhoni and Nurul certainly seems to have benefited from it.

As of now, Hasan isn’t as active for Bangladesh as he would like to be owing to the presence of Mushfiqur Rahim in the squad who is a very experienced and a reliable player. Should Hassan follow Dhoni’s footsteps, he will be just fine in the International circuit.

Mohammad Shahzad

Shahzad is a huge fan and a follower of the Indian stalwart and it’s a well-known fact. To add to it, Shahzad claims that his closest friend from the Indian Team is none other than MS. Mohammad also pointed out that Dhoni isn’t available often, for phone calls but his room is always open. In fact, Shahzad has opened up on their usual topics of conversation and it’s not about wicketkeeping or batting, but family and well being.

The 31-year-old, despite being dubbed as unfit, continues to prove his doubters wrong and he stands as a key component of the Afghanistan Cricket Team. The explosive wicket-keeper batsman earned many fans from India when he tried to emulate the famous (‘Helicopter shot’) trademark shot of the 37-year-old.

While no comparisons can be drawn between the two, Shahzad does share a special bond with the former Indian captain and it’s always heartening to see two competitive Cricketers being open off the field.

Ishan Kishan

Another budding wicket-keeper from India has decided to pick Dhoni as his idol for obvious reasons. The left-handed batsman has already established himself in the IPL and is a bright prospect for the national team. Kishan revealed that talking to Dhoni helps him feel confident and that the 37-year-old is his mentor.

The left-handed batsman is explosive by nature and Dhoni’s advice of taking time to establish oneself seems to have benefited the youngster. While the 20-year-old is yet to make his International debut, he has shown us at a consistent basis that he has what it takes to succeed at the top-most level, much like his “mentor”, during his early days.

Rishabh Pant

India’s find of 2018 when it comes to the wicket-keeping department in the longest format of the game, in simple words. Rishabh broke into the limelight following his impressive string of performances in England and Australia tours, and in 9 Tests, Rishabh has already got 2 hundreds and 2 fifties to his credit.

His glove-work seems to improve with each game and all these are positive signs for India. Rishabh has, however, attributed his success to MS Dhoni who keeps on advising him ranging from his IPL contract to his wicketkeeping skills.

Pant disclosed that Dhoni has helped him a lot in the past with his constant valuable inputs regarding stupendous coordination and in simple words, the much-needed basics. Over the course of 9 Tests, Pant has established himself as an integral part of the squad and he is the best counter-attacking batsman in the Test setup at the moment.

Rishabh is only 21 years old and has a long way to go in International Cricket. It only remains to be seen if he can prove to be a better wicketkeeper batsman than MS Dhoni.

Jos Buttler

The right-handed wicket-keeper batsman has been a revelation for England when it comes to the shorter formats of the game. The dynamic 28-year-old can never be counted out of the game owing to his unique skill-set of manufacturing shots and plucking catches out of nowhere, much like his idol and Indian legend, MS Dhoni.

While Buttler has abashed all the comparisons that are being made between the two, it remains clear that MS is someone who Jos idolises. Dhoni’s presence for his team is invaluable and even more so when there is a sudden collapse or a steep run chase, demanding perfect execution of skills.

Buttler has a lot of time left under his belt and he hopes to transform himself into the sort of player that MS is, holding the team together even when all the factors are against them. Buttler has over 3000 runs under his belt in ODI’s at a decent average of 39.7 and an impressive strike rate of 117.

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