"MS Dhoni isn’t just a player..." - Parthiv Patel in awe of CSK captain's aura

Former India wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel has revealed the three moments in Indian cricket history that stand apart due to the involvement of the fans. He also spoke about MS Dhoni ahead of IPL 2024.

The former cricketer’s comments came ahead of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. There is absolutely no denying that the fans are one of the biggest reasons behind the success and meteoric rise of the IPL. The fans have made their presence felt right from day one of the IPL and there is absolutely no doubt that they will be showing their support for IPL 2024 as well.

And ahead of the the brand new season of the IPL, Parthiv Patel picked three moments in Indian cricket that were made memorable by the love showered by the fans. The former cricketer started by picking the historic triumph in the 2011 World Cup. MS Dhoni led India to glory and ended the country’s 28-year wait for the World Cup trophy. India also became the first country to win the tournament on home soil.

For the second moment, he picked Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement speech before picking MS Dhoni’s post-match interviews in Chennai in IPL 2023.

“There have been three instances of fans showing this kind of love for players. In 2011 when we won the ODI World Cup.

“Then, when Sachin Tendulkar retired in 2013, the entire ground waited to hear his farewell speech. And last year whenever MS Dhoni played in Chennai, not a single fan would leave until his interview was over,” Parthiv Patel told in an episode of Legends Lounge, JioCinema.

The former wicketkeeper-batsman further mentioned that the BCCI retired the No.7 and No. 10 jerseys and said that Dhoni is an emotion.

“Look at the two jerseys retired by the BCCI. One is the No. 7 and the other is the No. 10. It shows that Dhoni isn’t just a player, he’s an emotion. The way he connects with people, whenever he meets people anywhere, he’ll talk to them as respectfully as possible. Only after doing all of this, you can create the aura that makes everybody love you.”

IPL 2024 is scheduled to be played from March 22. Reigning champions Chennai Super Kings will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in a mouth-watering tournament opener.

Parthiv Patel’s career as a player:

While Parthiv Patel is currently busy plying his trade as a commentator and an analyst, he enjoyed a long career as a player. The former cricketer played at the highest stage of the game for almost two decades. He represented Team India in 25 Tests, 38 ODIs, and a couple of T20Is. In domestic cricket, Parthiv Patel featured in 194 first-class matches for Gujarat.

He scored more than 1500 runs in international cricket and over 11000 runs in first-class cricket. In IPL, he played for Chennai Super Kings, now-defunct Deccan Chargers and Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Sunrisers Hyderabad.