MS Dhoni reveals his source of motivation ahead of ODI debut for India in 2004

Former India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni completed 15 years in international cricket on Monday. MS Dhoni made his international debut under Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy on December 23, 2004 against Bangladesh in an ODI at Chattogram. It wasn’t exactly a debut to remember for Dhoni as he was run out for a first-ball duck as India huffed and puffed their way to 245-8 in their quota of 50 overs. But, little did we know that it was just a blip before a Dhoni-sized juggernaut would take over Indian cricket.

ALSO READ | MS Dhoni’s daughter Ziva woos netizens by singing Malayalam song in this adorable video

In a video shared by Dhoni's Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK), he revealed what he told himself ahead of his India debut. The wicketkeeper-batsman vividly remembers the day, having recalled how well he had slept before the match. Contrary to what many players feel ahead of their debut, Dhoni did not feel pressurised and just wanted to be himself. To be expressive on the field irrespective of the match situation, he remembered his exploits for his state team, Jharkhand and the India A team prior to the Bangladesh ODI and took a lot of confidence from it.

ALSO READ | Throwback: MS Dhoni's masterstroke in the World T20 2007 Final against Pakistan

MS Dhoni opens up on India debut

ALSO READ | MS Dhoni turns 15 in cricket: Highlights from his 2019 sabbatical

Dhoni’s debut game came in the series opener between Bangladesh and India in the winter of 2004. Although he failed to impress across the 3-match series, the then India captain and current BCCI President Sourav Ganguly persisted with Dhoni seeing his ability and mental strength, in the next ODI series at home against Pakistan. In the second ODI against Pakistan, Ganguly went with his instinct to demote himself at No.4 in order to allow Dhoni to bat at No.3 after winning the toss and batting first. The rest is history as MS Dhoni made a name for himself by smashing a memorable 148, which pretty much set up his career and made him a household name.

ALSO READ | Kings XI Punjab pays tribute to the 'Mahi Way' as MS Dhoni completes 15 years