MS Dhoni is my idol and inspiration: Priyam Garg

Priyam Garg, who captained India at the 2019 U-19 World Cup, has revealed that former Indian skipper MS Dhoni is his idol and inspiration. Priyam Garg also said that he learned a lot from the way MS Dhoni batted and the way he captained the Indian side by watching his videos.

The Indian U19 team managed to reach the final of the 2020 U19 World Cup but lost a closely fought contest to eventual champions Bangladesh.

Although the loss was heartbreaking for the Indian team, skipper Priyam Garg was proud of the efforts put in by the boys and was calm enough to tell the players to keep their heads high. This calmness under pressure was something that Priyam Garg learned from MS Dhoni.

“I follow Dhoni sir. He is my idol and inspiration. I follow his footsteps when it comes to batting or captaincy. I have learned how to remain calm and adapt to any situation and condition from Dhoni sir. I have watched his batting videos very closely and learnt from those. I always watch his videos of matches in which he turned the game on its head with his captaincy, batting or field-setting skills,” Priyam told Timesofindia.com in an exclusive interview.

'MS Dhoni's knocks against Pakistan my favourite'

MS Dhoni spent the majority of his career batting at number six, finishing games for India. But, there were also times when India had to set a total and were five down with the score not even crossing the three-figure mark. In those situations, MS Dhoni took India to a competitive score which gave the bowlers something to bowl at.

Priyam Garg picked some of MS Dhoni's fine innings under pressure, especially versus Pakistan, as his favourite. In 2012, when Pakistan toured India for a three-match ODI series, India played the first ODI at Chennai. The hosts batted first and slumped to 29-5 with Junaid Khan wreaking havoc.

However, despite the odds being stacked against India, MS Dhoni scored a fine century. Although the hosts ended up losing the game, that innings has etched itself as one of the greatest by an Indian skipper under pressure.

“His innings of 113* vs Pakistan in 2012 in Chennai is one of my favourite innings. His 92* vs South Africa in 2015, 124 vs Australia in 2009 are also some of my favourite knocks by him. I have marked those videos as favourites in my collection. There are a number of his innings I watch to learn. I learn the batting and the art of captaincy from his videos,” Priyam Garg asserted.

Priyam Garg has been touted as one of the brightest batting talents in India, with several expecting him to make the step up into the senior team soon.

As for MS Dhoni, the wicket-keeper is in the twilight of his career and has not represented India since the 2019 World Cup semi final, where the Men In Blue lost to New Zealand.