Felt like a murderer or terrorist after 2007 WC ouster says MS Dhoni
Indian limited overs captain MS Dhoni felt the distressing time he along with his other teammates faced after the ousting from the 2007 World Cup made him stronger. Dhoni recalled the sequence of events which happened following India’s unexpected exit from the 2007 World Cup.
“When we landed in Delhi, there was a lot of media. At times, people feel that we are not emotional enough about it, but I always felt, as sports persons, you have to be strong enough to go through everything and it has to be within yourself,” Dhoni was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
Fans pelted stones at the player’s residence including Dhoni’s after the Rahul Dravid-led side crashed out of the tournament following first round defeats against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
The only captain to win all ICC events said the ensuing reactions following their ouster had a big impact and to a certain extent it was a big turning point in Mahi’s life.
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“At that point of time, when we landed, we had to get out in a police van. I was sitting next to Viru (Virender Sehwag) paaji,” Dhoni said while interacting with media in New York ahead of the release of his eagerly awaited biopic, ‘MS Dhoni: The Untold Story Story’ on Thursday.
“We were travelling at a speed of 60 or 70 km's, and that’s quite a bit for India, that too on the narrow roads and media cars followed us. It felt as if we had committed a big crime, or we were like some murderers or terrorists. We were actually chased by them.”
“After a while, we entered a police station. We went there, we sat for a while and then we left in our cars after 15-20 minutes. That actually had a big impact on me and I channelised the aggression to become a better cricketer and a better human being.”
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The scenario of Indian cricket changed dramatically within few months when an inexperienced Indian team under the captaincy of MS Dhoni lifted the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa in September 2007.
India came to the tournament as firm underdogs as they had played only one T20 international prior to the tournament but the young Indian team turned the tables upside down and registered a famous victory.
The Men in Blue defeated arch-rivals Pakistan in the final to win the coveted title at Johannesburg.