Picture Credit: Twitter/@ChennaiIPL
Ahead of the RR vs CSK clash at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on April 27, Chennai Super Kings batter Shaik Rasheed, who was a member of the U19 World Cup 2022 team recalled an emotional incident where he told how he wasn’t able to get MS Dhoni’s 'Reebok' bat and how it feels to finally getting to hold one. Rasheed is a huge MS Dhoni fan, and he had asked his father to get a bat and how his father wasn’t unable to get one.
He recalled how his family was unable to fetch enough funds to purchase the pricey bat for him. In a video posted by the Chennai Super Kings, the batter could be seen saying, “When I was around eight years old, it was my birthday and I told my dad that I wanted a Reebok bat. It was Dhoni Bhai who used to use that bat and we didn’t have that much money that time. So we could not buy that bat. After that, for an entire day, I was just crying.” He further added, “I was a ball boy during one of the games where I saw someone use that Reebok bat and somehow I couldn’t control my emotions. I really wanted to play with that bat.”
Shaik was later picked by the Chennai Super Kings for INR 20 Lakh in the IPL auction of 2023. On meeting his idol in the team, he said, “Mahi bhai said hi. It was special to me. On the bus and later on the ground, I first encountered him. I was encouraged by Mahi Bhai to “just do whatever you know.” He asked me to perform to my ability."
Notably, Chennai Super Kings are all set to meet Rajasthan Royals at the latter’s home ground in Jaipur on April 27, Thursday.
