MS Dhoni spotted using bat with sticker of childhood friend's sports shop, picture goes viral

A picture of Indian legend MS Dhoni practicing with a bat that has a sticker of his childhood friend's sports shop 'Prime Sports' is going viral on social media. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain has hit the nets as he prepares to lead his franchise’s title defense in the Indian Premier League (IPL) during the upcoming season.

There were earlier reports that Dhoni might not feature in the 2024 edition of the IPL. However, speaking after Chennai won the title last year, the much-revered cricketer hinted that he might return for one more season for the fans.

Meanwhile, a picture is now going viral on social media in which Dhoni is seen batting with a willow, which has a 'Prime Sports' sticker on it.

'Prime Sports' is a sports shop owned by the legendary cricketer's childhood friend Paramjit Singh. According to reports, Paramjit has played a key role in MSD’s cricketing journey and even helped him bag one of his initial bat sponsorship deals.

One of the greatest white-ball players in the world, Dhoni featured in 350 ODIs and 98 T20Is, scoring 10,773 and 1,617 runs, respectively. He also represented India in 90 Tests, scoring 4,876 at an average of 38.09, with six hundreds and 33 fifties.

In the Indian Premier League, the 42-year-old has led Chennai Super Kings to five title triumphs, the joint-most in the history of the competition. Mumbai Indians (MI) have also lifted the IPL trophy five times.

Dhoni has played 250 IPL matches in his career, scoring 5,082 runs at an average of 38.79 and a strike rate of 135.92, with 24 half-centuries, including a best of 84*.

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Mohammed Shami described MS Dhoni as the best captain he played under

Recently, Team India pacer Mohammed Shami paid a huge compliment to Dhoni, describing him as the best Indian captain he played under.

During an interaction at News18 India’s event ‘Chaupaa’, the right-arm pacer was asked to pick the best Indian leader. He replied:

"Look, it is a tough question. These things start with comparisons, but you will say that the one who is most successful (is the best captain). So for me, it is MS Dhoni because no one has been as successful as him.”

Dhoni is regarded as one of the greatest white-ball captains ever. He is the only skipper to have won all three limited-overs ICC trophies - T20 World Cup (2007), ODI World Cup (2011) and Champions Trophy (2013).