Chennai Super Kings opener Sanju Samson recently opened up about his long-standing admiration for veteran cricketer MS Dhoni, saying that sharing the same dressing room with the former India captain feels more than a dream. Samson revealed that his admiration for Dhoni dates back to his childhood and recalled how the legendary wicketkeeper-batter’s rise in Indian cricket left a lasting impact on him.
The CSK opener said one of his earliest memories of Dhoni was from the time the former skipper broke into the Indian team with his iconic long hairstyle. Dhoni’s international career began with a duck, but his fortunes changed dramatically after his explosive 148 against Pakistan in Visakhapatnam in 2005 and his unbeaten 183 against Sri Lanka in Jaipur later that year.
“I was in 4th or 5th standard, very small then. I remember seeing this guy with long hair walking out to bat for India. He would get out in a couple of games and then suddenly score a hundred against Pakistan. He scored 183, then he kept scoring big runs after that. From that moment, I became a huge fan of his,” Samson said on the Super Kings Podcast.
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Samson said that Dhoni’s popularity skyrocketed after those memorable early performances, making him a constant presence everywhere, from posters to television advertisements. The CSK batter also shared a special childhood memory involving a Boost bottle sticker featuring Dhoni, which he had carefully cut out and pasted into his personal diary as a young fan.
“He was everywhere after that – posters, media, advertisements. He used to feature in Boost ads. At home, we used to drink Boost, and there was a sticker on the bottle. I remember cutting Mahi bhai’s face out from that sticker and sticking it on my diary,” Samson said.
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Samson said that being around Dhoni has been an experience far beyond what he had imagined as a child. The 31-year-old revealed that he now regularly interacts with Dhoni, spends time with him in the dressing room, and often seeks advice from the legendary former India captain, making the journey even more special for him as a long-time admirer.
“From that moment to where I am now, what more can I say? I sit with him, talk with him, play games with him, go to his room and ask him anything I want. He advises me as well. It’s been a dream, actually more than a dream. I think any kid would dream about this, and I feel very fortunate to be here,” Samson concluded.
