MS Dhoni may have become one of the biggest sporting names in the world over the course of his glittering career but he was part of the generation that grew up watching Sachin Tendulkar the peak of his powers.
Former India captain MS Dhoni may have become one of the biggest names in world cricket and indeed, sports in general, over the course of his illustrious career. However, there was a time when he was among many youngsters in the country in the late 1990’s who were getting to see the best of Sachin Tendulkar and idolising the batting great.
Dhoni said in a recent interaction with students at the MS Dhoni Global School that he had always looked up to Sachin Tendulkar as a child. “As a cricketing role model, it has always been Sachin Tendulkar. I was exactly like you guys, I used to watch Sachin Tendulkar play and always thought that I want to play like him. Later on I realised that I can’t play like but in my heart I always wanted to play like him. He was a cricketing idol growing up,” said Dhoni.
Dhoni made his international debut in 2004, thus becoming Tendulkar’s team mate for nearly the last 10 years of the latter’s extraordinary career. The pair put up a number of big partnerships accross formats, with Dhoni notably being at the other end when Tendulkar became the first male player to score a double century in ODI cricket. Dhoni had smashed an unbeaten 68 in just 35 matches in that match, doing a bulk of the scoring as he and Tendulkar put up 101 runs for the fourth wicket off just 54 balls.
Dhoni also captained India to victory in the 2011 World Cup, in which Tendulkar was also part of the side. Tendulkar would say a couple of days after India won the trophy that Dhoni was the best captain he has played under. “He [Dhoni] is the best captain I have played under,” Tendulkar said in Mumbai. “He is very sharp and always alert. He reads the situation well and is open to sharing ideas. He always has discussions with bowlers, batsmen and senior players separately. He is always calm and never shows his frustration. These are some of the human qualities which have made him such a good captain. He is a fantastic captain.”
