KL Rahul, the captain of the Kings XI Punjab was full of praise for the former captain of India, MS Dhoni besides adding that he serves as an inspiration for cricketers of families coming from small towns. Ranchi born MS Dhoni has several credentials to his name including being the only captain to win all three ICC trophies-the T20I World Cup in 2007, 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy.
Many former and present cricket players have spoken about MS Dhoni’s incredible success as a skipper and his meteoric rise from Jharkhand which state has not given many cricketers. India batsman and the captain of KL Rahul spoke about MS Dhoni in a video that was released by the Indian Premier League on Tuesday.
He was the most successful Test captain with 27 Test wins but was overtaken by his successor Virat Kohli with 33 wins so far.
KL Rahul Says Retirement Of MS Dhoni Was An Emotional Moment For India
KL Rahul will lead Kings XI Punjab for the first time after spinner former captain Ravichandran Ashwin was traded to Delhi Capitals. KL Rahul is a right-handed wicket-keeper batsman who have featured in 32 ODIs, 42 T20Is besides 36 Tests since his debut in 2014. He has been excellent particularly in the limited-overs white-ball where he averages more than 45.
Speaking about the retirement of MS Dhoni, KL Rahul said, “It was quite an emotional moment for the whole country and for world cricket. We have all grown up wanting to be MS Dhoni. Especially for someone like me who comes from a small town, he was our hero.
“We always told our families look it doesn’t matter where you come from, you can always go and try and achieve your dreams.”
The stylish batsman KL Rahul played in the middle order against South Africa and Australia in the 2019 World Cup but opened against the likes of Pakistan, West Indies, England and in the semi-final against New Zealand apart from few other matches after the regular opener, Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out due to an injury. He scored his maiden hundred against Sri Lanka in 2019 World Cup. Both the openers scored tons in that match as India won the match by 7 wickets.
KL Rahul Will Give MS Dhoni A Hug When CSK Meets KXIP In IPL
KL Rahul has the interesting distinction of making his international debut for India in the match which is also known for being MS Dhoni’s last Test which was the Boxing Day Test match between Australia and India in Melbourne in December 2014. He will be leading the Kings XI Punjab franchise for the first time in IPL 2020 which was postponed from March 29 due to Covid-19 and is scheduled to be played in the UAE.
Speaking about what he will tell MS Dhoni when he meets the Chennai Super Kings skipper in UAE, KL Rahul said, “I am sure I won’t have enough words to tell him. I will just give him a long hug and say thank you and probably ask him to go easy on Kings XI this time,” Rahul added.
