Let's look at Mahendra Singh Dhoni's superstitions, which helped him win many matches in his illustrious career, most importantly the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is considered as one of the greatest captains in the history of cricket. While some say he's right up there among the greatest wicket-keeper batsmen, most people think that India will never have a leader like him again. The explosive batsman has scored 10,773 runs in ODIs, 4,876 runs in Tests, and 1,617 runs in T20. Talking about his legacy as one of the greatest wicket-keepers ever, he has taken 634 catches and effected 195 stumpings in his illustrious international career.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni played his debut match for the Indian cricket team on December 23, 2004, against Bangladesh at M A Aziz Stadium in Chattogram. Unfortunately, he was run out for a duck in his first match for Team India. MS Dhoni indeed had the most terrible start to his International career, but he retired as India's most successful captain ever. Under MS Dhoni, aka 'Captain Cool,' Team India won the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup, 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, and 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.
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Despite winning so much and being one of the most loved cricketers ever, Mahendra Singh Dhoni never let success sit on his head. For instance, during the 2019 IPL campaign, he was spotted sleeping on the airport's floor while waiting for his flight. The cricketer's grounded nature won everyone's hearts. MS Dhoni once again proved the mettle of his humility when he declined to inaugurate a pavilion after him at JSCA Stadium, Ranchi, Jharkhand.
Superstitions are quite common in sports, and even the greatest players and sportspersons perform them in their time of need. From Michael Jordan wearing his University shorts under his uniform, Serene Williams bringing her shower sandals to the court, Sachin Tendulkar always wearing his left pad first to Zaheer Khan always keeping a yellow handkerchief in his pocket, there are numerous examples of superstitions in sports. Like all these sportspersons, even Mahendra Singh Dhoni also had certain superstitions during his playing days. Today, we will talk about the two superstitions he followed in his illustrious career.
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Indian cricket team won the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, after beating Sri Lanka by six wickets. In the final, Mahendra Singh Dhoni scored 91 runs in 79 balls. He was the one, who hit that iconic six at Wankhede Stadium to bring the World Cup trophy home after a wait of 28 years. Many years after the Indian team's 2011 triumph, it was Virender Sehwag, who shared an interesting anecdote from the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup during a candid conversation on Star Sports.
The iconic cricketer, Virender Sehwag revealed that Mahendra Singh Dhoni followed a strange superstition during the 2011 World Cup. Sehwag revealed that MS Dhoni ate only one food during the entire tournament, which was 'khichdi'. Opening up about the same, he said:
"Everyone was having some or the other superstition, and everyone was following theirs. MS Dhoni had a superstition of having 'khichdi' all through the World Cup. He used to say that even if I'm not scoring runs but this superstition is working, and we're winning matches."
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Another interesting superstition that Mahendra Singh Dhoni followed during his playing days is that he never wished 'good luck' to his teammates ahead of their matches. Once, in an interview with Sports Today, Pragyan Ojha opened up about MS Dhoni's superstition and shared that the former feels whenever he wishes someone luck, things end up abruptly for them. Hence, MS Dhoni had decided not to wish his teammates luck before the games. Ojha said:
"MSD will never wish his team members' all the best' or 'good luck' before a game. Because he feels, if he wishes somebody quite a few players he has wished his players during a game, it ended up in a very different way. That's maybe why he has stopped it."
What are your thoughts on Mahendra Singh Dhoni's superstitions? Let us know.
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