Watch: 7-year-old girl imitates MS Dhoni's famous helicopter shot
With cricket being a religion in India, millions in the country aspire to become cricketers. And with the growth of women’s cricket and idols in Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami and Harmanpreet Kaur, little girls have also started picking up the bat.
7-year-old Pari Sharma from Haryana is one of those young girls who has become a social media sensation due to her batting skills. Her videos have gone viral on social media more than once and have been appreciated by the cricket fraternity.
Recently, former Indian batsman Aakash Chopra shared a video of Pari imitating MS Dhoni's helicopter shot. In the video, the 7-year-old is seen acing the helicopter shot, with Chopra adding his own commentary to it.
"Thursday Thunderbolt...our very own Pari Sharma. Isn’t she super talented?" Chopra captioned his post on Twitter.
Also joining in to appreciate was former India batsman and noted commentator Sanjay Manjrekar, who recalled how the helicopter shot was popularised by MS Dhoni and so many budding cricketers in the country aspire to copy it.
"I see now helicopter shot being actually practiced. Along with collecting the ball very close to the stumps as keeper, this is another cricketing technique Dhoni has popularised as great options for budding cricketers," wrote Manjrekar reacting to Chopra's video.
MS Dhoni to return to the field after a year
As for MS Dhoni, the former India captain last played competitive cricket in the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final against New Zealand. He will return to the field after more than a year when the Indian Premier League (IPL) begins on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates.
MS Dhoni underwent a COVID-19 test on Wednesday, the report of which returned negative, and he has been cleared to join Chennai for their pre-season camp.