MS Dhoni politely turned down the request to inaugurate his own stand
What's the story?
MS Dhoni politely denied when he was requested to inaugurate his own stand in JSCA stadium at Ranchi on the eve of the third ODI between India and Australia.
The Background
It has been a tradition that the state board honors the best players from their state by naming the stand or pavilion with the player's name. Wankhade Stadium in Mumbai has Sunil Gavaskar stand and the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi has the gate named after Virender Sehwag. In the same way, the Jharkhand State Cricket Association decided to honor Dhoni by having a pavilion on his name. The board had also sent a formal invitation to the former Indian Captain but Dhoni politely turned down the invitation.
The Details
Dhoni is known for his humility and humbleness. He always prefers to stay away from the limelight. The Ranchi board decided to name the south pavilion as MS Dhoni pavilion. Here is what the board secretary told PTI:
"During our last AGM on August 18, 2017, it was proposed that the South Pavilion will be named after MS Dhoni. The people sitting in front of the dressing room can view MS Dhoni pavilion. The north stand is named after Amitabh Chaudhary.”
He also confirmed that Dhoni has politely turned down the invite.
"We were planning to open it on the 8th of March." But when I asked MSD, he said: “Dada mein toh isika hissa hu. Ghar ka ladka apne hi ghar mein kya inaugurate karega? (I am a part of this ground. How can a person inaugurate something in his own home?)”
What's next?
The third ODI between India and Australia will be played at Ranchi on Friday. India is leading the series 2-0 after winning the first two games.