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- By Gurmeet Batra
- Thu, 09 Oct 2025 03:32 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Women's World Cup 2025: India batting star Harleen Deol went down memory lane as she recalled her inspiring interaction with legendary wicketkeeper-batter and former India captain MS Dhoni during her six-month injury layoff.
In 2024, Harleen suffered a knee injury in the Women’s Premier League while playing for Gujarat Giants, which eventually sidelined her for six months before she marked her return to the Indian setup in the Australia tour.
In her rehabilitation period, she received a golden chance of meeting her "idol" Dhoni. The 27-year-old shared that Dhoni himself came up to her after hearing about the injury and offered her inspiring words.
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“I got injured around the time he was in Ranchi. Everyone wanted to meet him, and when he heard about my injury, he reached out himself. He called me, and we ended up having a long, meaningful chat,” Harleen said in a video on ICC.
“It was incredible — especially at a time when things weren’t going well for me. He gave me so much motivation that day, and it was truly special,” Harleen added.
Harleen had shared a post on Instagram, featuring a photo with MS Dhoni, expressing her admiration for her "idol", former India captain.
“The moment which felt surreal. Cherishing every minute spent with my idol. It’s already cold in India But this my #captaincool moment. Have idolised you as a player but after meeting you I am gonna idolise you as a person as well. Still Can’t believe , I really met you," Harleen wrote in the post.
Harleen Deol In The ICC Women's World Cup 2025
Harleen has appeared promising in the ODI Women’s World Cup 2025 so far. The 27-year-old batter has delivered blistering batting performances for India in the tournament as she scored 94 runs at an average of 47.00, with a highest score of 48.