'He got that special ability of…..': What Sachin Tendulkar said when he first saw MS Dhoni

New Delhi | Jagran Sports Desk: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the former Indian captain who won two World Cups for India, retired from international cricket on Saturday, ending his 16-year-old international career. Dhoni’s retirement came as a shock to his fans as many believe that the 39-year-old wicket-keeper batsman has still left with some cricket and can still contribute to the Indian cricket team.

Dhoni, who made his India debut in 2004 against Bangladesh, was a very attacking batsman in initial days of his career and he had impressed a lot of veterans and former cricketers, including legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar, with his six-hitting capabilities.

On his retirement, Sachin, who played a crucial role in India’s 2011 World Cup-winning captain, has revealed what he said when he first saw Dhoni. Speaking about his first encounter with the legendary wicket-keeper batsman, Tendulkar said that he believed that Dhoni had “something special” as he “got the gift of hitting the ball hard”.

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“I first saw him on the tour of Bangladesh. Sourav (Ganguly) and I had heard that he could hit the ball well. But could he do that in international cricket? That was our question. On that tour, he didn’t score too many runs, but in a couple of shots he hit, including one boundary he hit to long-off, Dada and I thought that we have spotted something special. I told him, “Dada, this guy has got the gift of hitting the ball hard,” Sachin told Hindustan Times in an interview.

“My first observation was: he has a very strong bat swing and during the impact, the transfer of weight is really good; he will be able to generate great power,” he said.

The 47-year-old batsman has also revealed that the winning the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup with MS Dhoni has been the best moment of his life. Lauding Dhoni for a spectacular career, Sachin said that the former skipper has immensely contributed to Indian cricket.

“Your contribution to Indian cricket has been immense, @msdhoni. Winning the 2011 World Cup together has been the best moment of my life. Wishing you and your family all the very best for your 2nd innings,” he tweeted, following Dhoni’s retirement from international cricket.

Dhoni, under whom India won the 2011 ODI World Cup, 2007 inaugural T20I World Cup and 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, retired from international cricket on Saturday. The 39-year-old will, however, compete in this year's IPL, which gets underway in the UAE from September 19 after being moved out of India due to the COVID-19 pandemic.