Hong Kong's Ehsan Khan relives magical MS Dhoni dismissal

Hong Kong‘s heroic right-arm off break bowler Ehsan Khan is still trying to come to terms with the fact that he snaffled MS Dhoni’s wicket. Although India defeated Hong Kong in their opening fixture of the Asia Cup, the latter were praised for their overall performance against the defending champions. India, batting first, put up 285 on the board, with Shikhar Dhawan leading with a brilliant 127. But Hong Kong’s moment of brilliance came when 33-year old Ehsan Khan removed MS Dhoni for a duck.

Dhoni, one of most respected and successful captains in world cricket, is a wicket Ehsan had been dreaming of ever since he found out Hong Kong had been pooled with India and Pakistan for the Asia Cup. Ehsan foxed Dhoni with a deceptive delivery which took his edge and went straight to the keeper. Dhoni walked back for a duck, only his 9th in a career which spans 323 ODIs.

Ehsan Khan has had humble beginnings – born in Pakistan, he represented Rawalpindi at the U-15 and U-19 level in the Sadiq Akbar Memorial Cricket Club. As Ehsan realized that he wouldn’t be able to make ends meet by playing cricket in Pakistan, he moved to Hong Kong in December 2012. Once in Hong Kong, he made his international debut in 2016, dismissing Scotland’s Craig Wallace off his very first delivery. Ehsan is now a sports teacher, who coaches students from India and Pakistan to earn his living.

Dhoni’s wicket equivalent to 5

“Mujhse pucha ki tumne Dhoni ka wicket lene pe Allah ka Sajda kyu kia, vo toh log 5 wicket lene pe karte hai par mere liye Dhoni bhai ki wicket 5 wicket ke baraabar hi hai. (They asked why did I bow down to god after taking Dhoni’s wicket. I told them for me Dhoni’s wicket is equal to five wickets). I tell everyone that I took six wickets against India,” Ehsan said proudly after the game.

The Indian team met with the boys from Hong Kong after the match in what was a wonderful gesture from the men in blue. They shared jokes, gave some valuable tips, and also stood for the cameras to capture memorable pictures. Ehsan Khan in particular got his photograph with MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, both signalling ‘out’ with their index finger, as Ehsan was the one who dismissed them.

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