'I want to take MS Dhoni's legacy forward' - Jharkhand wicketkeeper Sumit Kumar stresses legend's influence on his career

Former Indian captain MS Dhoni is indeed one of the best, if not the best, wicketkeeper-batsman to have ever stepped onto the cricket field, and his stellar records narrate the entire story. While the dasher has tormented many prominent bowlers worldwide, his precise glovework hasn’t allowed batters to breathe easy. Owing to this, many budding wicket-keepers look up to Dhoni and dream of replicating his brilliance.

Jharkhand’s Sumit Kumar also belongs to that category. He’s a young wicket-keeper batsman who idolises Dhoni and wants to walk on the same path. With Jharkhand also being Dhoni’s state team, Sumit has met the former Indian captain on multiple occasions and also got to learn from him. In an interaction, Sumit revealed the story of his hardships and Dhoni’s influence in his life.

When MS Dhoni got into the Indian team, he became my hero: Sumit Kumar

“He (Sumit’s father) always says ‘Mahi ki tarah khelna hai‘ (You have to play like Dhoni). I was also crazy about the game. Initially, I had to walk for 7 to 8 kilometres with a kitbag on my shoulders. When Mahi bhai got into the Indian team, he became my hero. It was a great feeling that someone from Jharkhand has made it to the Indian team,” said Kumar in an interaction with the Times of India.

“He (Dhoni) has given a lot to Indian cricket and Jharkhand and I want to take his legacy forward. I can’t match him (Dhoni), but if I am able to do a fraction of what Mahi bhai did that will be great for me,” the 25-year-old added.

Further in the conversation, Sumit even said that he started playing cricket because of the former legendary skipper. He also mentioned the things he learnt from the talismanic wicket-keeper batsman upon their meeting. Moreover, the youngster asserted that the 39-year-old has a lot of faith in him. Hence, it would be interesting to see if Kumar can walk on his idol’s footsteps.

“He (Dhoni) has a lot of confidence in me. He always says – ‘Sumit, you have the potential, just focus on your game. Today’s focus and hard work will be tomorrow’s comfort’ – this is what he (Dhoni) says. He has shown me the way a number of times,” Kumar said.