As the former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is camping in Kashmir where temperature has already plunged to minus in the night, the star cricketer further witnessed the youth chanted “Boom Boom Afridi” in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district during the Chinar Cricket Premier League (CCPL) grand finale on Sunday (November 26) which was organized by Srinagar-based Chinar Corps of the Army.
Afridi, who has been famous in the valley for his explosive batting and nonchalant approach, saw his name echoed once again from one of the congealed maidans in Kashmir during the army-organized Twenty20 cricket tournament.
So much so, the spectators further entered the stadium before many die-hard fans of Dhoni aligned to get an autograph from the Ranchi-born professional owing to the treasure trove of memories in nutshell.
Earlier in the day during the final at Kunzer in Pattan, hundreds of spectators thronged to the local cricket ground, in a bid to have a glimpse of the prominent face of Indian cricket in the form of gloveman Dhoni, who has the considerable fan-following from Jammu and Kashmir State.
However, things turned somewhat repulsive when youth pitched in with the slogans in favour of the former Pakistan skipper and star all-rounder Shahid Afridi, who has the strong fan-following from the Kashmir region itself.
Following the slogans in favour of the 37-year-old Afridi, Dhoni wore a smile on his face, as his presence was further cherished by spectators while watching a cricket match.
Pertinently, Dhoni made his appearance as the chief guest for the final, as the tournament housed as many as 110 teams, according to the Chinar Corps recently released statement.
The heartthrob of many, Dhoni has been calm in his approach; as he has been on the field for so long by winning millions of hearts from time and time again.
With three ICC’s coveted trophies under his belt, Dhoni is further cherishing the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Army.
Interestingly, Dhoni, who has been passionate in the gentleman’s game, has further been conferred with the rank in 2011.
In the past few days, Dhoni visited Uri to travel further to the Line of Control (LoC), after meeting the students of Army Public School in Srinagar including the students, who have had shown great passion in the field of sports.
Moreover, in the recent past, both cricketers in the form of Dhoni and Afridi went on to achieve a lot on and off-the-field while representing their respective countries which further saw them sharing a cordial relationship.
For Pakistan, Afridi, who bowed out from international cricket earlier this year, played 398 ODIs followed by 27 Tests and 98 T20Is.
Giving his best, Dhoni played 309 ODIs followed by 90 Tests and 83 T20Is while donning the national jersey of India.