Former India captain MS Dhoni is well known for having a big heart for his fans. When he’s not gifting away match-ball souvenirs to his young admirers in the crowd, he makes sure to please his cross-border fans by bequeathing them his awesome personal mementos.
Rauf thanks Dhoni and CSK team manager for the jersey gift
This time, it was Pakistani pace sensation, Haris Rauf, who got to experience Mahi’s gracious nature first-hand. Over on a recent Twitter post, Rauf thanked Dhoni for gifting him his Chennai Super Kings (CSK) match jersey from the last IPL season. The post was also shared by CSK team manager Russell Radhakrishnan, who was also courteously thanked by Rauf in his official Twitter announcement.
When our captain @msdhoni promises he delivers , glad you love it champ #whistlepodu @ChennaiIPL https://t.co/3qybd0oFEE
— Russell (@russcsk) January 7, 2022
The jersey comes with the interesting backstory that Dhoni and Rauf had met each other off the field after the India-Pakistan match in the 2021 World T20. At the time, the two were seen comparing notes about their respective game plans; an image that went viral instantly in both Indian and Pakistani cricketing circles.
But it seems now as though the two had left some unfinished business between themselves. And Dhoni, true to his word, graced his fan 3 months later with his official IPL uniform. Also, something that makes this jersey particularly special is that Dhoni led CSK to its fourth IPL title in this exact attire.
India cricketers have a history of sharing souvenirs with rivals
India cricketers have had quite a history of sharing mementos and souvenirs with their international opponents. Almost a year ago from now, the Indian test team, captained by Ajinkya Rahane, had all signed a jersey for Australia’s Nathan Lyon in his 100th test appearance. Before that, Virat Kohli had gifted a bat to former Pakistan pacer Mohammed Amir after the later had completed his five-year ban.
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With this beautiful gift of Dhoni’s official jersey, India fans would be hoping for Rauf to go slightly easier on them in their next face-off! Jokes aside, Rauf bowled an impressive spell of 4-0-25-2 in the all-important India-Pakistan match to restrict his opponents to a paltry score of 151/7. Dhoni, at the time, was involved with the Indian team as mentor.