"Who is this bald man?" - Suresh Raina recalls the moment he saw MS Dhoni after 2011 WC win
Former Indian batsman Suresh Raina recently recalled the episode when he first saw former Indian captain MS Dhoni at the hotel after the 2011 World Cup win. He hadn't realized that Dhoni had shaved all the hair off his head and initially felt there was some unknown bald man sitting.
As he got closer, he realized that it was Dhoni who was sitting there. Raina also noticed a heap of hair on the other side, probably the offerings for the wish Dhoni had made.
Speaking to Gaurav Kapur on the podcast 'The 22 Yarns', Suresh Raina gave an insight into India's memorable 2011 World Cup-winning celebrations and what all happened in the hotel after the showpiece event was won by the hosts.
"It took about two and a half hours for us to reach the hotel from Wankhede Stadium. I went to the room, took a shower and then we were sitting, I looked at someone and thought 'who is this bald man?' Then I realized it was MS Dhoni. The hair was kept on one side and he was sitting on the other. Maybe he had wished for something," Suresh Raina stated.
MS Dhoni's 91* in the final still fresh in the memory of Indian fans
MS Dhoni has etched his name in the history books as the only captain to have won all of the ICC's white-ball tournaments. However, his innings in the 2011 World Cup final is something no cricket fan will ever forget.
Team India had to chase a daunting target of 275 against Sri Lanka to end a 28-year-long wait. They lost two quick wickets of Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar and the visitors were right on top.
Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir did steady the ship a bit, but when Kohli was dismissed, India once again looked to be in deep trouble. This is when MS Dhoni worked his magic and promoted himself above an in-form Yuvraj Singh.
Dhoni began to take the chase deep and took on the Sri Lankan spinners. Slowly and steadily, he took India out of the danger zone. It was his six over long on that sealed the World Cup win and the stroke will remain immortal in cricketing memory.