"Sir, Hum World Cup Jeet Ke Ayenge": MS Dhoni To Sanjay Jagdale When He Was Named As T20 World Cup Captain

The legendary Indian skipper MS Dhoni after being appointed as the captain for the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup ( 2007) told Sanjay Jagdale, the former national selector that he will bring the T20 World Cup trophy home.

MS Dhoni is regarded as one of the most successful cricketers to step foot into the international cricket scene. His game analyzing abilities were absolutely top-notch and he always used to be ahead of the game. Mahi when first made his appearance in international cricket became an instant favorite. Some liked his play style and some like his hairstyle.

His name was registered in history in golden letters after he won all the major ICC trophies during his time. Notably, Dhoni led India towards victory in the 2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 50-over World Cup, and 2013 Champions Trophy.

“The first time he is named the captain, and he said: Sir, hum World Cup jeet ke ayenge”: Sanjay Jagdale

Meanwhile, former national selector Sanjay Jagdale was part of the selection committee including Dilip Vengsarkar, Venkatapathy Raju, Ranjib Biswal, and Bhupinder Singh that appointed MS Dhoni as captain for the inaugural edition of the 20-over World Cup in September 2007.

Sanjay Jagdale believes that former Indian Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a very cool personality and he reads the game very well. He stated:

“He is cool and reads the game very well, the situations, the opposition and the conditions. Especially in Twenty20. I will never forget the 2007 World Cup in South Africa. I was in London as a selector for the series against England. We picked a new team with Dhoni as captain.”

Meanwhile, Jagdale recalled a short conversation he had with Dhoni after he was named as the Indian captain. Jagdale stated:

“The first time he is named the captain, and he said: Sir, hum World Cup jeet ke ayenge (We will return with World Cup). I can never forget these words from him. He was not casual at all, he looked very confident about what he said. And India won the World Cup.”

Sanjay also talked about the incident which took place during the India vs Sri Lanka ODI World Cup match at Port of Spain in 2007. He said:

“I was the selector and manager. And, I was watching the match with the coach Greg Chappell. Dhoni was padded up and sitting on the staircase. When Muttiah Muralitharan began to bowl round the wicket. I just mentioned to Greg if his ‘doosra’ will be effective bowling from round the wicket. Dhoni told me in Hindi; “Sir, mai aapko yahan se bata doonga, about his doosra (I will tell you from here). And Dhoni explained.”

Meanwhile, Soon after MSD went to bat Greg Chappell asked Jagdale what did Dhoni say in Hindi. Sanjay Jagdale asserted:

“I told him about the conversation between me and Dhoni and immediately Greg told me: “Sanjay, he (Dhoni) is your future captain. And he did become the India captain with Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sourav Ganguly withdrawing from the Twenty20 World Cup. I will never forget this incident,” 

“I know is that Dhoni has an excellent rapport with Virat (Kohli)”: Sanjay Jagdale

Notably, MS Dhoni has been named as the mentor of the India national cricket team for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021. Talking about Dhoni’s involvement in World Cup, Jagdale said:

“But one thing I know is that Dhoni has an excellent rapport with Virat (Kohli). Definitely. He will add something to the team with his experience and knowledge.”

Meanwhile, the last incident that Jagdale talked about took place in Nagpur in the match against Australia in March 2019 which showed that Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni share mutual respect.

“This was before the World Cup in England. I was watching the match from a position that was behind long-off and by the side of the sightscreen. We were ten of us from Indore in the gallery. That was my first international match in three or four years.”

“Marcus Stoinis was batting brilliantly and Virat was fielding at long-off, just in front of us. And I could hear Dhoni shouting Chiku (Virat’s nickname) and asking him to shift 15 to 20 feet towards extra cover. This was a remarkable incident with Dhoni asking the India captain (Virat) to move. Virat had no issues with it. He just moved. This is the respect and rapport they have. Even before Dhoni became the captain, all players had a good equation with Dhoni. I even explained to my friends about what happened on the field and the respect the players have for Dhoni.”

Also Read: CSK Without MS Dhoni Is Like A Body Without A Soul: Aakash Chopra