"But that I cannot get as it belongs to Bhaiya"- Sameer Rizvi on selecting new jersey number as MS Dhoni holds No. 7 at CSK
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Sameer Rizvi revealed that his jersey number had always been '7'. However, on Tuesday, March 26, the youngster donned the CSK jersey with number '1' as MS Dhoni has held No. 7 since the inception of the league.
Speaking in a video posted by IPL on their official website, here's what Rizvi had to say about choosing jersey No. 1:
"My jersey number is 7. But that I cannot get as it belongs to Bhaiya (Dhoni). I liked the single number 1, so I took that."
Sameer Rizvi played his maiden IPL innings on Tuesday against the Gujarat Giants (GT). While he didn't get MS Dhoni's jersey number, the way the 20-year-old finished the innings would have certainly made the great man proud. Rizvi scored 14 runs off just six balls, including two sixes, and helped Chennai post a challenging target of 207. CSK won the match by 63 runs.
Sameer Rizvi on sharing dressing room with MS Dhoni
Sameer Rizvi was snapped up by CSK in the IPL 2024 auction for a whopping INR 8.4 crore after a massive bidding war. Rizvi was thrilled when he realized he would be sharing the dressing room with MS Dhoni. On this, he said:
"I was delighted when CSK picked me up in the auction because meeting Bhaiya (Dhoni) was a dream for me, let alone playing together. We got to play together and I had several nets sessions where I took a lot of advice from Bhaiya and the coaching staff as well. The idea is to try and learn as much as possible."
The youngster also opened up on the advice he has received from Dhoni so far, saying:
"Bhaiya told me that I have to keep playing the way I have my whole life. He told me, 'It's the same game with the same skills needed, just a change in mindset is required at this level. Whenever you walk out to bat, you should not take the pressure and just focus on the game situation. If you focus on the situation then there won't be any pressure or any nerves while playing the first game.'"
For the past 15 seasons, the Chennai Super Kings have relied on MS Dhoni as their finisher. They will be hopeful that the spark against GT is just the start of Sameer Rizvi gradually taking the baton of finishing from the former CSK captain.