MS Dhoni announced his retirement on Independence Day from white-ball cricket but will be available to play for CSK in IPL 2020. As fans go into a frenzy by pouring heartfelt wishes on both MS Dhoni and his teammate Suresh Raina, who retired minutes after his announcement.
Pakistani players who played alongside MS Dhoni also poured wishes for Ranchi veterans. Karachi-born Mohammad Bashir Bozai, an ardent fan from arch-rivals Pakistan wants to give up watching India-Pakistan play at ICC events as obsessive fandom follows Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina by innumerable congratulations and even talks of retiring jersey numbers has also become a major discussion.
MS Dhoni Retirement Will Not See Bashir In Cricket Stadiums Again
Travelling around the world to watch the arch-rivals in action doesn’t make sense anymore to Bashir who is popularly fondly called ‘Chacha Chicago’, who endured abuses from Pakistani fans while cheering for MS Dhoni.
The well-known chacha, instead, plans to visit MS Dhoni’s hometown Ranchi to meet the man who has inspired millions of fans far and wide across the globe.
“Dhoni has retired and so have I. I don’t see myself travelling for cricket again with him not being around. I loved him and he loved me back,” Bashir told PTI from Chicago, where he runs a restaurant.
“All great players have to call time one day but his retiring makes me sad and brings back a lot of precious memories. He deserved a grand send-off but again he is beyond that,” he added.
The great bond between the fan and player duo blossomed after the 2011 World Cup semifinal between the two countries which eventual champions India won. A ticket for the undoubtedly the biggest game of the World Cup in Mohali was a precious commodity to him but MS Dhoni arranged it for the 65-year-old which was enough for him to “unconditionally love” the World Cup-winning captain for life.
For someone who has survived three heart attacks and travelled around the globe to see MS Dhoni performing, cricket will never be the same. Now that he is done with attending live games featuring MS Dhoni, his next stop is Ranchi where MS Dhoni resides.
“I will go to his house in Ranchi when things get normal (post COVID-19 pandemic). That is the least I can do to wish him all the best for the future. I will also ask Ram Babu (another super fan, from Mohali, to come with me).”
“I would have travelled to see him in the IPL but there are travel conditions and with my heart condition, it is not safe to do so,” said Bashir, whose wife hails from Hyderabad (India), a place he visited in January this year.
He says what makes his relationship special with the legendary MS Dhoni is that they never interacted much during tournaments, most recently the 2019 World Cup in England, but the Indian wicket-keeper batsman was always there to help him before he could ask.
“On some occasions, I did get some time with him, but in 2019, we could not interact much. But like always, he arranged a ticket for me.
“And during the Asia Cup in 2018, he took me to his room and gave me his jersey. That was really special just like the two times when he gave me his bat.”
“When he did not have the time reach me, he sent a member of the support staff with the tickets. He did not have to do that but he did,” said an emotional Bashir.
MS Dhoni arranged a ticket for his fan on several occasions, but giving his jersey and bat remained special to him.
Pakistan Fans Even Called Bashir A Traitor
But when Suresh Raina handed over sunglasses in hot conditions in Sydney during 2015 World Cup and said that it was his captain who gave it to him, the incident was unforgettable.
“This particular incident during the 2015 World Cup I can never forget. I was there for a game in Sydney and was sitting in the sun, it was extremely hot.
“Suresh Raina came from nowhere and gave me sunglasses. He said ‘it is from Dhoni bhai not me’. I smiled back at him,” he said.
Bashir was extremely loyal to MS Dhoni which is shown by the fact that he would openly cheer for India and for that, he, at times, had to endure abuses from Pakistani fans.
“This one time in Birmingham, the Pakistani fans hurled choicest of abuses at me and even called me a ‘Gaddar’ (traitor). I had to ignore all of it. I love both countries and humanity comes first anyway,” he signed off.
Pakistan and India have not met each other for a bilateral series, but have met in Asia Cup, Champions Trophy, T20I, and ODI World Cups. Mainly cross border tension and terrorism ensured that no play was possible between the two arch-rivals.
MS Dhoni though will be seen in action in IPL and if permitted by BCCI, he can take part in global T20I leagues. Coronavirus too played its part in the early retirement of MS Dhoni who could not play as the T20I World Cup which was slated to be held in Australia in 2020 was postponed due to COVID-19.