AHMEDABAD: It is now well known that former India captain
MS Dhoni loves to eat chicken butter masala with nan and chicken tikka pizza even though ghar ka khana remains his all time favourite. But it was his love for home-cooked sea food delicacies that brought Dhoni, along with India teammates
Munaf Patel,
RP Singh
and
Pragyan Ojha, to the farmouse of Surat’s cricket enthusiast
Kamlesh
Patel in Surat way back in 2008.
Recalling the moment a day after Dhoni decided to step down as the skipper of Indian ODI and T20 teams, Kamlesh said it was September 27, 2008 when the four cricketers spent an evening with him and his 500-odd relatives and friends. “He checked out my newly-bought Porche car. I had got various preparations of fish and prawns made for them and Dhoni liked it,” said Kamlesh,
Bharthana
’s leading farmer, who constructed the
CB Patel International Cricket Stadium
in Surat in 2011.
“Dhoni was kind enough to gift me his signed bat, T-shirt and cap. I wish my friend plays for India for a few years more,” Kamlesh said.
Munaf Patel, who was a part of Dhoni-led 2011 World Cup-winning squad, told TOI that they were playing for the Rest of India squad that won the 2008 Irani Trophy against Delhi in Vadodara and had left for Surat soon after the final day’s play. “We all had a good time in Surat and Dhoni patiently signed a lot of autographs,” said Munaf.
Another beneficiary of Dhoni’s surprise Surat visit was Fahad Matadar, son of Ismail Matadar, the vice-president of Bharuch District Cricket Association. “My son was only 12-year-old then but Dhoni made my son comfortable. Dhoni spoke about cricket, joked with my son, posed for many pictures and signed a bat for him,” Ismail recalled.
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