‘I was like, ‘Who is this guy?” –  Aakash Chopra remembers how MS Dhoni’s incredible shot stunned him

After MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik made his Indian wicketkeeper-batter debut. Even though Dhoni went on to become the most prolific player of all time, Karthik’s absence at the time affected Dhoni’s position in the squad. Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra disclosed that the Ranchi batter used to bowl to Karthik in the nets as the game got more competitive.

Both his batting and wicketkeeping styles were unusual, as was Dhoni. However, Karthik, who added conventionalism to the playing XI, was the team’s top pick. Recalling the old Dhoni, Chopra, who once shared a dressing room with the now-retired legend, claimed he was “carefree but not careless”.

“I thought, ‘Who is this guy?'” He never batted in the nets before. In actuality, he used to bowl against his rival, Dinesh Karthik. Even though he wasn’t getting to play, he still wanted to be involved. “Why are you bowling to Karthik?” I asked him. On Raj Shamani’s YouTube channel, Chopra questioned, “Why aren’t you batting?”

“When are you going to bat if he continues to bat and score runs?” But in response, he said, “No, I just want to bowl because it’s fun.” He’s just gifted. He continued, “In actuality, he doesn’t practice keeping all that much, but even now, his hands are faster than anyone in the world.

MS Dhoni’s confidence allowed him to be carefree: Aakash Chopra

Chopra also recounted an incident in which the right-hander destroyed Iftikhar Anjum, a Pakistani bowler, who hit the ball at 140 kmph, to complete a four-ball reverse sweep. He continued by saying that Dhoni batted like a “man possessed” during one of Kenya’s early opportunities.

That Dhoni, then, was totally different; he was carefree without being reckless. Carefree because he was content with his situation and extremely self-assured, but not careless because he acted decisively when given the chance to play, in Kenya rather than Zimbabwe “, Chopra added.

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I had never seen a batter hit a reverse sweep against a bowler before him. Once upon a time, a bowler from Pakistan by the name of Iftikhar Anjum used to bowl for his country and could reach speeds of over 140 km/h. Dhoni struck him at fine leg for a four. Dhoni hit the next ball for a six over the third man region, but the bowler altered his field, sent back the fine leg fielder and called in the one at third man’, he said.