National selector MSK Prasad narrated an incident that highlighted former India skipper MS Dhoni's commitment and love for the game. Dhoni was almost ruled out for an intense India-Pakistan match in the Asia Cup last year after he suffered an injury.
However, the skipper's s determination saw him not only turning up for the game but also winning it.
Speaking at a function, the Chairman of the selection committee said such was Dhoni's commitment that the former skipper asked him not to worry and that he would play against Pakistan even "if my one leg is not there."
Narrating the incident, he said, "While training at the gym late in the night, Dhoni picked up weights and suddenly there was a catch in his back and he fell with the weight.
"Thankfully, the weight did not fall on him. He could not walk, he was literally crawling. He was taken on a stretcher."
"So, I went to Dhoni's room to know what the issue was. He said, 'don't worry MSK bhai'. I even asked him what should I tell the scribes, and the answer again was 'don't worry MSK bhai,' the Chief Selector said.
Prasad also said he didn't want to take chances and summoned Parthiv Patel as a replacement. But, Dhoni's resolve came to the fore and he was ready for the crunch game against the neighbours.
"Before the team was announced in the afternoon, Dhoni was dressed up for the game. He called me to his room and asked me why was I worrying so much? Then he said, even if my one leg is not there,I will still play against Pakistan," Prasad said.
With the 2019 World Cup coming up, selectors are eyeing to build the best team under skipper Virat Kohli. Incidentally, Prasad earlier had said that Dhoni was not an automatic choice and that every player has to prove his mettle.
But proving his critics wrong, the former India skipper, who was short of runs in recent times played a couple of match-winning knocks against Sri Lanka and helped India win the five match ODI series.
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