'Completely Wrong', Says Bangladesh U19 Captain Akbar Ali On Comparisons With MS Dhoni

Bangladesh U19 star Akbar Ali has laughed off the comparisons with legendary MS Dhoni. The Bangladesh youngster became a household name in India and his country after guiding his nation to its first-ever ICC trophy – the U19 World Cup – earlier this year.

In the final, the Akbar Ali-led side beat hot favourites India to create history. Akbar Ali emerged as the hero in the final. Before the title-decider, he had little to do with the bat but when his team needed him the most, he did not fail to deliver. Chasing 178, Bangladesh were reeling at 65 for 4 before Akbar Ali arrived in the middle and steadied the ship.

He went on to play an unbeaten knock of 43 to guide his team to the historic win. Akbar Ali was later named as the captain of the Team of the Tournament. Impressed with his wicketkeeping and captaincy, a number of quarters compared him with the legendary MS Dhoni.

However, the 18-year old believes that the comparison is completely wrong as he lavished praise on the former India skipper.

“I haven’t been said something yet. If someone says, it will be completely wrong. Dhoni is a legend. There’s no place of comparison. If I can become like Dhoni, it will be a massive achievement,” Akbar Ali was quoted as saying in an exclusive interview with Bengali daily Ganashakti.

The teenager also talked about another Indian legend – Rahul Dravid. He expressed his desire to know what went through Dravid’s mind when he and VVS Laxman helped India beat Australia in the 2001 Eden Gardens Test.

“During a tri-series in England, I saw him. I may not get too many chances to ask him questions, but I would like to know about his knock against Australia at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. I didn’t see it live, but saw the highlights. I would like to know what was he thinking during his 376-run partnership with VVS Laxman,” he added.

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