IPL 2021: "He laughed and hugged me" - Priyam Garg recalls emotional interaction with MS Dhoni
Sunrisers Hyderabad batsman Priyam Garg has recalled an emotional yet invaluable interaction with former Indian skipper MS Dhoni during IPL 2020.
Priyam Garg hit an unbeaten 51 off just 26 balls against Chennai Super Kings in the 14th game of the tournament. The knock earned SRH their 2nd win and Priyam Garg his first Man of the Match title. Soon after receiving the award, he rushed to meet his childhood hero MS Dhoni.
In an interview with the Times of India, Priyam Garg reminisced on Dhoni's words of appreciation and the CSK skipper's advice to work on fitness.
In a fanboy moment for the youngster, Priyam Garg also got a hug from the legendary wicketkeeper-batsman. The SRH batsman revealed he maintains a collection of MS Dhoni's match footage and continues to learn from watching the former Indian captain.
"It was a dream come true for me. I have followed Dhoni sir since my childhood. He is my idol and inspiration too. I followed him closely, be it batting or his captaincy. I have a collection of his batting and match-winning knocks on video and I watch those and learn from them. Meeting him in person was a dream come true. After the knock, he said 'well played' to me,” said Priyam Garg.
"I asked him many things about captaincy and taking my game forward. He just said - 'be fit. that's all. Your fitness will decide your career and how long you will play'. He asked me to focus on my fitness and game plan. He said to take care of my body and said a game plan is a must. 'Sit and plan your game and be fit'. These two things will take you forward. I told him about the videos I have. He laughed and hugged me. It was an emotional moment for me. I asked him about captaincy skills and he explained all that to me. I will never forget those tips from him," he added.
Priyam Garg played 14 games for SRH in his debut season. However, the former U-19 skipper couldn't impress after his aforementioned half-century. Overall, he mustered just 133 runs at an average of 14.78 with his strike rate reading 119.82.
Priyam Garg recalls his interaction with Virat Kohli
Priyam Garg also harked back to his conversation with current Indian skipper Virat Kohli. The RCB superstar, like MS Dhoni, advised the youngster to focus on his fitness and work hard in the nets.
"Meeting Virat bhaiya was really amazing. He also told me about the importance of being fit. He said - 'you can play for a long time if you are fit'. He asked me to focus on my fitness and spend as much time in the nets as possible," recalled the SRH batsman
Priyam Garg mostly played in SRH's middle-order last season. However, with the inclusion of an experienced campaigner in Kedar Jadhav, Garg's opportunities might come few and far between this time around.
SRH will play their first game of IPL 2021 against the Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday, April 11.