Chennai Super Kings opener sanju samson Recently he talked about his long-standing admiration for veteran cricketer MS Dhoni and said that sharing the same dressing room with the former Indian captain feels like more than a dream. Samson revealed that his admiration for Dhoni dates back to his childhood and recalled how the rise of the great wicketkeeper-batsman in Indian cricket left a lasting impression on him.
The CSK opener said that one of his earliest memories about Dhoni is the time when the former captain joined the Indian team with his iconic long hairstyle. Dhoni's international career started with a zero, but his fortunes changed dramatically after his explosive 148 against Pakistan in Visakhapatnam in 2005 and his unbeaten 183 against Sri Lanka in Jaipur later the same year.
“I was very young, in fourth or fifth grade. I remember seeing this long-haired boy batting for India. He would get out in a few matches and then suddenly score a century against Pakistan. He scored 183, then after that he kept scoring big runs. From that moment, I became a big fan of his,” Samson said on the Super Kings Podcast.
Samson said Dhoni's popularity skyrocketed after those memorable early performances, making him a constant presence everywhere from posters to television commercials. The CSK batsman also shared a special childhood memory, which included a Boost bottle sticker with Dhoni's picture, which he had carefully cut out and pasted in his personal diary as a young fan.
Samson said, “After that he was everywhere – posters, media, advertisements. He appeared in Boost ads. At home, we used to drink Boost, and there was a sticker on the bottle. I remember cutting out Mahi Bhai's face from that sticker and pasting it on my diary.”
Samson said that being around Dhoni was more of an experience than he could have imagined in his childhood. The 31-year-old revealed that he now interacts with Dhoni regularly, spends time with him in the dressing room and often seeks advice from the great former India captain, making his visit even more special as a long-time fan.
Samson concluded, “From that moment to where I am today, what else can I say? I sit with him, talk to him, play games with him, go into his room and ask him whatever I want. He also gives me advice. It's been a dream, more than a dream really. I think any kid would dream about it, and I feel very lucky to be here.”
Get every cricket update! Follow us: :
Leave a Reply