The first practice tie between India A and England at the Brabourne Stadium would have been a not-so-special affair for one of Mumbai’s senior match referees Shakti Singh. However, the match turned out to be one of the most memorable matches of his career as it was Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s last match as the skipper of any Indian team.
Shakti Singh was making his debut in officiating a match when an international team is involved and as expected, he was very elated.
Speaking to CricketNext, Shakti Singh shared his experience of witnessing a jam-packed stadium for the first time in his career. Fans were given free entries to watch the game and they did not disappoint as they turned out in large numbers to see India’s most decorated skipper coming out for toss one last time.
“I entered the stadium with Dhoni, England captain Eoin Morgan and the commentator for the toss and it seemed like a different world to me, although I have walked out for a toss several times before. I had never witnessed such madness. All I could hear was chants of – Dhoni..Dhoni…Dhoni in the stadium,” he said.
Shakti further said he was stunned when he received the offer of officiating the match.
“Honestly, I was stunned after I got the call to officiate in Dhoni’s last match as captain. I was at work when I got the call. I knew that Dhoni is going to captain for the last time in the warm-up game against England at Brabourne Stadium, but didn’t expect that I will be getting a call for the match. It was an honour for me to be a part of that historic match. The match has become a life-long memory for me,” Shakti said.
“There are four or five senior referees in Mumbai and I am one of them. I luckily got a call for Dhoni’s match as all other referees were busy with other matches,” he added.
Shakti Singh, who played 58 first-class and 28 List A matches for Himachal Pradesh and is known in the domestic circuit for hitting 14 sixes against Haryana during a Ranji Trophy match in 1990, said the match has helped him garner more attention.
“I have received many calls after the match. People knew me but this match has made me more popular,” Shakti said.
The cricketer-turned-referee also feels Dhoni has still a lot to offer with the bat. India A lost the match despite posting a total of 304, but Dhoni showed glimpses of his devastating batting by scoring 68 off only 40 deliveries.
“I personally believe there is still a lot of cricket left in Dhoni and he will definitely play the 2019 World Cup.” Shakti opined.
The 48-year-old also shared an interesting anecdote to highlight Dhoni’s incredible humility. He met the former India skipper during a Ranji Trophy match some three months back.
Recalling the meeting, he said:
“Before this meeting, I met Dhoni during the Jharkhand vs Maharashtra Ranji Trophy group match at Delhi’s Karnail Singh Stadium. He was mentoring his home team Jharkhand in that match. I was a match referee for that match.”
“Players are not allowed to talk on phone during the match these days. Dhoni is a senior player and a big face in the cricketing world and wasn’t even playing the match. Still he came to ask me for the permission to make phone calls. He wanted to speak with coach Anil Kumble and the selectors who selected the Indian team for England series. I salute that man’s humility. He has achieved everything in his career but is still so grounded. He followed the protocol properly. It showed his greatness,” Shakti concluded.