Saurabh Tiwary, who recently announced his retirement from professional cricket, showered former India captain MS Dhoni with appreciation for adding Jharkhand's name to the country's cricketing maps. Tiwary asserted that Dhoni is the deity of Jharkhand cricket, despite his initial notoriety as a doppelganger of the former skipper. Tiwary discussed the great captain's contribution to the domestic team's growth throughout time in an interview with Sports Now.
After announcing his retirement from professional cricket, Saurabh played his final Ranji match for Jharkhand in Jamshedpur against Rajasthan. He was Dhoni's previous colleague in India and had long hair and a daring batting style that was modelled after the former captain. Dhoni eventually realised his dream of playing for India while working as a ticket collector for the Indian Railways. The few Jharkhand players who were able to represent India internationally were Dhoni, Saurabh, and Varun Aaron.
"The cricket deity of Jharkhand is MS Dhoni. Since he began representing India, more people have been familiar with our squad. They learned the location of Jharkhand. We have faith in MS Dhoni, and Jharkhand is among the top teams in the domestic league. He attends to our practice sessions whenever he is in the area. Before every game, we receive counsel from Dhoni Bhaiya as well. He occasionally participates in the warm-up exercises as well. For us, Dhoni bhaiya's support means the world," Saurabh said to Sports Now.
Not only was Dhoni an incredible finisher and wicketkeeper-batter, but he also led the Indian side to great success as captain. In the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup, the 2011 ICC ODI World Cup, and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, he guided India to triumph. In 2020, Dhoni ended his remarkable career and became the only Indian captain to win every ICC trophy. Dhoni's captaincy style amazed Saurabh, who also disclosed that Dhoni was always there for the players, no matter what.
"He will support you even if you don't give a good performance. He offers the players plenty of opportunities. Dhoni Bhaiya assists the bowlers greatly when he is behind the wicket, in addition to guiding the squad. He will help you with correct field placement and let you know how the wicket is responding', he continued.
Three ODI matches were all that Saurabh was able to play for India after making his debut against Australia in 2010. But in the Indian Premier League, the southpaw showed his striking power. Over the course of his 17-year Ranji career, the 34-year-old hitter amassed 8076 runs.
