3 Years After Jumping In Joy Post Champions Trophy Win, MS Dhoni Had Revealed A Unique Way Of Celebration During Asia Cup 2016

In a field of work where display of raw emotions is a constant element almost every other minute, former India captain MS Dhoni somehow doesn’t really indulge himself in exhibiting sudden joy or immense regret upon different match situations. Whether it’s heading towards a nail-biting finish, or the contest is as lopsided as it can get, one would often witness Dhoni remaining poker-faced.

It is not to say that the veteran wicket-keeper batter doesn’t get affected by the highs and lows of the game. He has, quite a few times, admitted being just like any other cricketer in tense or joyous moments.

However, his ability to stay in the present coupled with the skill of hiding his emotions had emerged as one of his strengths and a key personality trait. Having said that, there have been a few occasions where Dhoni did end up exhibiting whatever he was feeling from the inside.

MS Dhoni Had Revealed A Unique Way Of Celebration During Asia Cup 2016

In what was a fun segment conducted by the host broadcaster before Asia Cup 2016, all the players were supposed to reveal their one go-to manner of celebration on the field. Such customs usually take place during multi-team tournaments to invite the attention of fans. A certain clip of the same has been viral across social media platforms which features Indian players namely Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni.

While Pandya revealed that he liked to raise both his arms up in celebration while picking up a wicket, Rohit’s favourite form of celebration was an aggressive downward fist pump – which he had termed it as the “Hulk Smash”.

Come Dhoni’s turn to reveal his favourite celebration, the “Captain Cool” just stood there with an endearing smile revealing his teeth, sans aggression, sans special moves, or any over-the-top gesture. Even the people working behind the scenes couldn’t stop but have a laugh at Dhoni’s revelation, which mirrored exactly the way we are used to seeing him on a cricket ground.

MS Dhoni Had Jumped In Joy Post Winning Champions Trophy 2013

It was the night of the final in Birmingham. MS Dhoni had his eyes on what would have been a third ICC title for India under his leadership. Having said that, having set a modest target of 130 runs in 20 overs against the hosts in a rain-affected encounter, it looked like England’s game to lose right until the 17th over.

This is where Dhoni made a move, a gamble, to be precise. He brought pacer Ishant Sharma back into the attack with 28 runs required off the last three overs. This, despite the right-arm bowler being the most expensive bowler in the innings until then. Ishant conceded a six and a couple of wides to bring the equation down to 20 off 16 as Dhoni’s gamble had left the fans scratching their heads. That said, Ishant came up with an impulsive plan and turned the tables on the next two deliveries to tilt the match balance to their side.

Post Ravichandran Ashwin bowled the final delivery of the match with England requiring a six for victory, Dhoni jumped up in absolute joy like a baby having got hold of his favourite toy, before calmly pulling out one of the stumps as part of his routine post victories.

A visibly joyous Dhoni had even went on to reveal the words of motivation in the form of a small pep-talk he had with his teammates during the innings break.