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MS Dhoni-Shubman Gill (Source: Twitter)
Playing for the nation, earning a national cap and performing well in the debut match to make use of the golden opportunity, is the dream of every cricketer playing professionally. But it is not that easy to perform well in the debut match for the national team under huge pressure and nervousness.
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India’s rising star Shubman Gill dreamt of the same. Gill made his ODI debut in the year 2019 against New Zealand, and he came to bat at no.3 but ended up scoring only 9 runs off 21 balls. None of the Indian batters performed well that day, as the team was bundled out for 92 runs and lost the match by 8 wickets as the kiwis chased down the target in under 15 overs.
MS Dhoni cheered the youngster after a disappointing ODI debut
The 23-year-old talked about how MS Dhoni consoled him after his bad performance and how he was touched by his gesture which was what impact it left on the then-teenager.
"The day I made my debut, the team was all out for 90 (92) and I was dismissed for 15 (9). I was sitting outside being sad about scoring only 9 runs on my debut and India losing the match. So, Mahi bhai came and saw that I was very sad. I was around 18 to 19 years old back then. He told me 'your debut was at least better than mine.' Then he started laughing and joking and I was touched by that gesture," said Gill on the 'Dil Diyan Gallan' show.
Dhoni made his ODI debut in 2004 against Bangladesh and got run out for a golden duck. The former Indian captain did not have a good run in his first ODI matches as he managed to score only 22 runs in 4 innings. But his 5th innings gave his career a spotlight as he played a sensational knock of 148 against Pakistan in Vizag.
Talking about Gill, he’s currently part of the Hardik Pandya-led side against New Zealand. The tour includes three T20I match series and as many ODIs. The first T20I match between the two nations was washed out, while the second one was won by India with the help of Suryakumar Yadav’s sensational ton.