IND vs AFG: Explosive Afghanistan batsman can sacrifice sleep to watch MS Dhoni bat

MS Dhoni is one of the most admired cricketers in the world, which can be comprehended from the roars he conjures whenever he hits the cricket pitch. The plethora of records to go with his humility as a luminary have helped him carve an illustrious career. He also has a significant fandom in Afghanistan. Mohammad Shahzad, the swashbuckling batsman, has often been left awestruck by Dhoni’s antics.

The cricketer is known for emulating Dhoni’s trademark helicopter shot in the 2012 ICC World T20 and has already grown in stature ever since. Recently, he revealed his equations with the former Indian skipper in an interaction with Cricbuzz. In the chat, he mentioned that he is fond of sleeping apart from gorging on to food, but is ready to sacrifice the former in order to watch MS Dhoni wield his magic.

“I prayed to Allah”- Shahzad for Dhoni

He reminisced the match in 2013 between India and Sri Lanka when Dhoni guided India past the finishing line in the last over. Shahzad also talked about how he was able to keep himself awake to witness the heroics from the wicketkeeper-batsman despite the hectic ritual of Ramadan.

“I will drink some water for some time and try to stay awake. There was a time when India were playing a final in the West Indies. Dhoni was batting at the end of innings and some 15 odd runs were required in the last over. It was Ramzan at that time as well. Around 3 to 4 minutes were left for Iftaar and food was in front of me. It is said at that time whatever is asked from Allah he grants us,” the 30-year old mentioned.

In the match, Dhoni had Ishant Sharma as the non-striker and he couldn’t have afforded to pick up a single as the Men in Blue were left with only one wicket. The 36-year old played out a dot ball in the first instance but made amends by scoring 16 runs (6,4,6) in the next three balls to help India clinch the title with a couple of balls to spare. Shahzad also told about how he prayed to Almighty for Dhoni’s success.

“Dhoni was unfit for a couple of games earlier and was only playing the final against Sri Lanka. 15 were needed off the last over. I prayed to Allah that India win this match and Dhoni finishes the match. So, I had prayed and delayed my food for a while then. So, I can delay sleep as well,” the Nangarhar-born cricketer added.

Here is MS Dhoni’s journey

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