Bangladesh Sabbir Cricket player Rahman has affirmed that Mrs. Dhoni once invited him to play in India Premier League (IPL). He mentioned that Dhoni personally approached him with the opportunity.

Sabbir Rahman’s performances called Dhoni

Sabbir Rahman told BDCRICTIME that his good performances in the main tournaments called Mrs. Dhoni. He scored 176 races in five tickets during the 2016 Asia Cup, 182 races in six innings in the 2015 World Cup and 106 races in three entries against India. Seeing his performances, Dhoni asked if he wanted to play at the IPL and if the Bangladesh Cricket board allowed him to join. Sabbir was excited and said that playing at the IPL is a dream for each Cricket player, and he would have been ready if his board had approved.

“I worked well in the 2016 Cup Asia and I had a good career in the World Cup and India Series 2015. Seeing my performances, Dhoni asked me if my board would grant me a NOC (without objections) and if I were interested in playing the IPL. I immediately said that playing in the IPL is the dream of all of the Cricket, and if my board would approve, I would be ready to play.

Sabbir Rahman said he couldn’t play at the IPL because Bangladesh had an international tour at that time. The Board did not give permission to participate. Although he lost the opportunity, he was proud that Dhoni has personally shown interest in him, considering that it is a great moment in his career.

“There was an international tour at that time, so I could not play. The Board did not issue a NOC. But the fact that Dhoni himself approached me is a great achievement for me,” added Sabbir.

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Learning under Dhoni would have changed the game

Sabbir Rahman believes that playing at the IPL under a legendary captain like Mrs. Dhoni would have changed the game for her career. He feels that the training and exhibition experience in such a high profile tournament would have helped him grow as a player. However, he accepts that the opportunity is now in the past and beyond its control.

“If I had played in the IPL at that time, things would have been different. Playing in an important tournament under a superior captain like Dhoni would have been a great experience. Training, the environment and exposure would have helped me a lot. But what did not happen now is in the past. There is nothing I can do about it,” said Sabbir.

Sabbir admiration for Dhoni

He has always admired Dhoni as if he admired Shahid Afridi. While playing for Bangladesh, he often hit the number seven, the same position Dhoni dominated as a finalist. This made Dhoni an important model for him.

“I have always been a great admirer of Dhoni, just like I admired Afridi. When I played for Bangladesh, I hit the number 7, the same position as Dhoni. It was the best finalist, a model to follow for any batter number 7,” he added.

In the 2016 Asia Cup, Sabbir requested Dhoni’s shirt as a souvenir. Later, Dhoni called him to his room, where they had a conversation before giving him the shirt. To Sabbir, it was a memorable experience since he sees Dhoni as a great legend of the game.

“During the 2016 Asia Cup, I asked for a shirt like a memory. Later it called me to his room, we had a talk and gave me his shirt. I asked him for the shirt because it is a legend,” he said too.

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