'I admire MS Dhoni for the person that he is' - Swapnil Kusale after winning Bronze Medal at Paris Olympics 2024

Swapnil Kusale won the Bronze Medal for India in the 50m rifle shooting event at the Paris Olympics in 2024. The 28-year-old works as a ticket collector in Indian Railways and the fans struck a chord with Indian cricket legend, MS Dhoni, who was also a ticket collector before joining the national side. Swapnil drew a parallel line after winning the medal as he said that he looked up to Dhoni as inspiration due to similarities in their journey.

The former India captain worked as a ticket collector at the Kharagpur Railway Station before making big in the Indian cricket. On the other hand, Kusale worked along a similar job profile at the Kolhapur Station in Maharashtra. It was also reported that Indian Railways kept rejecting Kusale’s plea for promotion for years, but after his performance at the Olympics, they decided to provide him double promotion.

“I don't follow anyone specific in the shooting world. Outside of that, I admire Dhoni for the person that he is. My sport requires me to be as calm and patient as he is on the field. I also relate to his story as I am a ticket collector like he was,” said Kusale as quoted by The Times of India.

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Once the rules and regulations get formalised, I will take a call on retirement: Dhoni 

Talking about Dhoni, the veteran stepped down from the captaincy at Chennai Super Kings ahead of IPL 2024. It is worth noting that he announced international retirement on 15^th August 2020 and is seen playing only in the IPL. CSK had a disastrous outing in IPL 2024 under new skipper, Ruturaj Gaikwad, failing to make it to the play-offs. As the 2025 season nears, fans are speculating about the availability of their cherished cricketer, and Dhoni is seeking new retention rules before going ahead.

Also Read: CSK propose rule change to retain MS Dhoni as uncapped player for next IPL edition

“There is a lot of time for it. We have to see what decision they take on player retention etc. Right now, the ball is not in our court. So, once the rules and regulations get formalised, I will take a call, but (it) needs to be in the best interest of the team,” said Dhoni.