'Unfortunately, Sourav hadn’t seen': When Ganguly refused to select MS Dhoni in India team

Former Indian cricket team skipper and legendary wicketkeeping batsman MS Dhoni needs no introduction to what he has achieved throughout his 15-year international career. Dhoni has led the Indian cricket team to three ICC trophies and also won five Indian Premier League titles for the Chennai Super Kings. The former Indian captain played his last international match against New Zealand in the Cricket World Cup 2019 semi-final. 

3 things you need to know 

• MS Dhoni made his international debut against Bangladesh in December 2004 
• Dhoni is one of the greatest cricketers to ever play the game
• The last ICC trophy that Team India won was under the leadership of Dhoni in 2013 

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Saba Karim explains the reason behind MS Dhoni's snub from the 2004 Pakistan tour 

Former Indian cricket team wicketkeeper-batsman Saba Karim has watched the growth of MS Dhoni with very close eyes. Before Dhoni made his international debut, Karim worked with the legendary Indian skipper as a selector of the Bihar Ranji team. Karim explained while speaking on Jio Cinema, why Dhoni was not able to make it to the Indian cricket team for the 2004 Pakistan tour.  

As per Saba Karim, the then Team India skipper Sourav Ganguly wanted MS Dhoni to prove himself in the domestic circuit due to which he was not able to make the cut in the Indian team for the 2004 Pakistan tour. Karim said: 

I even remember I was in Calcutta at that time, and Sourav Ganguly was the captain. I went to meet him and I told him there is this keeper who should come into the Indian team because he was batting so well and was such a safe keeper.

Unfortunately, Sourav hadn’t seen MS play just before we toured Pakistan, and he wasn’t selected for that tour. But he was after that. 

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Saba Karim's first interaction with MS Dhoni 

Saba Karim also opened up on his first interaction with MS Dhoni and said that he was highly impressed by his batting but his footwork was a problem. Saba said: 

My story is very interesting. The first time I saw MS Dhoni, it was his second year in the Ranji Trophy. He used to play for Bihar. I saw him batting and keeping, and I still remember while he was batting, he had that brilliance which we even saw later, playing big lofted shots to a spinner or a pace bowler. 

MS Dhoni made his debut against Bangladesh in December 2004, however, he was dismissed for a duck and didn't play well in the ODI series. However, the former Indian captain proved himself by scoring a century against Pakistan in 2005 in Visakhapatnam.