Two-time World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni has earned himself an invitation from Karachi-based sports channel A Sports’ popular show named ‘The Pavilion’.
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Dhoni, one of the finest observers and readers of the game, is invited to tons of places to share the expertise and wisdom he has accumulated over the years. However, in this particular case, the legendary captain wasn’t called for due to his analytical skills but his love for Pakistani food.
With a recently viral video comprising Dhoni suggesting a fan to visit Pakistan for “amazing food”, it unsurprisingly caught host Fakhr-e-Alam’s eyes on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Claiming Dhoni to have won his heart with his wonderful comments about the neighboring country, the multi-talented personality didn’t think twice before inviting the Chennai Super Kings captain to his show. With an esteemed panel already comprising former Pakistani captains namely Wasim Akram, Moin Khan, Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq, The Pavilion’s traction will unequivocally skyrocket due to Dhoni’s presence even for a single episode.
For the unversed, The Pavilion had kick-started during ICC T20 World Cup 2021 when Alam was joined by just Akram and another former Pakistani captain in Waqar Younis. With in-depth discussions around each game, they established themselves as an authentic and reliable cricket program. Akram, who rarely minces his words especially when it comes to speaking in local languages, once also cleared the air by providing reason for missing ICC Cricket World Cup 1996 quarter-final.
The show, which reached its zenith of popularity during the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup, once witnessed Akram hilariously taking a dig at Khan for claiming former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly‘s bump catch in the first Test of Pakistan’s tour of India 1999. Vice-captain to Akram for over a year, Khan fighting with the selectors to save Akram’s spot was also disclosed on The Pavilion.
Malik, who joined the panel during ICC T20 World Cup 2022, had received Akram’s support when he expressed frustration over his omission on this very show. Reciting a couple of incidents from Pakistan-England Abu Dhabi Test from eight years ago, Malik had revealed former English pacer Stuart Broad complaining to him about incomplete rest and how spinner Zulfiqar Babar had motivated himself to bowl in a marathon Test.
MS Dhoni Yet To Feature On Any Television Channel
Ever since Dhoni’s retirement from international cricket over three years ago, he hasn’t embarked on a journey as a broadcaster or analyst for any television channel unlike most other cricketing greats. Since then, all Dhoni has done with regard to cricket is play the Indian Premier League apart from working in the capacity of a mentor of the senior men’s team during ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
Even though he earns money from an array of other professions including being an investor and founder, one doesn’t see him making an appearance on television channels in spite of his wit.
As for Dhoni’s love with Pakistani food, he must’ve developed the same whilst playing three Tests and 11 ODIs during India’s tour of Pakistan 2006 and Asia Cup 2008. As Dhoni and his wife, Sakshi, have made plans of initiating a globetrotting tour from India itself, it will be intriguing to see if he will include Pakistan in his tour or not.
