Sourav Ganguly's first-ever Bengali word to describe MS Dhoni revealed by ex-KKR chief

Former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni made his international debut in December 2004 against Bangladesh under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly. Apparently, the 113-Test veteran knew that MS Dhoni would go on to become one of the legends of Indian cricket. Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Team Director Joy Bhattacharjya recalls the time when Sourav Ganguly first introduced the wicketkeeper to him during a flight to Bangladesh in late 2004.

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Sourav Ganguly introduces a young MS Dhoni in hilarious manner

Joy Bhattacharjya recently interacted with Gaurav Kapur on his YouTube channel Oaktree Sports. In the video, the ex-KKR head recalled his time with the Indian team when the ‘Men in Blue’ were en-route to Bangladesh. He said that Sourav Ganguly described MS Dhoni as a “chabuk new batsman” on the flight. According to Bhattacharjya, the then Indian captain told him to see the “chabuk new batsman” since he is “going to be a star” in the future. The ex-KKR Director said that the word ‘chabuk’ means whipped in Bengali since both Ganguly and Bhattacharjya hail from the eastern state itself.

Joy Bhattacharjya reveals Sourav Ganguly’s first description of a young MS Dhoni, watch video

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Bhattacharjya also praised Sourav Ganguly’s ability to spot talents for the Indian team. Ganguly’s ability is a testament of his backing of young cricketers like Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni himself who all went on to become some of the biggest names for Indian cricket. According to the former KKR official, the current Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President was just “fantastic” in seeing and spotting talents. He added that Sourav Ganguly is someone who will always back talents and he knew when and whether they had the ability to perform or not.

Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI’s stance on IPL 2020

As BCCI President, Sourav Ganguly is currently contemplating several measures to organise the much-awaited Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL 2020) sometime later this year. The IPL 2020 was originally intended to launch on March 29 before the coronavirus pandemic-induced India lockdown prompted the BCCI to enforce an indefinitely delay on the tournament. Recent reports now indicate that the IPL 2020 is likely to be played between September 26 and November 8 with UAE emerging as the frontrunner to host the event.

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IPL 2020: MS Dhoni in CSK

MS Dhoni, who has been on a sabbatical from international cricket since July 2019, was set to make a return to the game in March as the captain of his IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK). His return to competitive cricket remains one of the most talked-about aspects for the CSK fans and for the now-postponed IPL 2020 season.

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