MS Dhoni has been an iconic mentor to several young Indian cricketers and many youngsters in the Indian squad who have later emerged as giants of the sport. One such Indian name who has been doing quite a few rounds in recent times after delivering handsomely in the Zimbabwe and West Indies series followed by the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is that of Shubman Gill.

The Indian opener has been around for a while but is finally starting to hit his true potential as he continues to provide an option in the opening slot for the Men in Blue. He earned his debut cap in 2019 against New Zealand but could only get 9 runs off 21 balls.

But despite a disappointing debut, when MS Dhoni walked up to him, moments later, he was left smiling. Speaking on the chat show, ‘Dil Diyan Gallan’, Gill said, “The day I made my debut, I was dismissed when India was around 15. I was sitting outside and was sad having scored just 9 runs on my debut. So, Mahi bhai came and saw that I was very sad. I was then around 18-19 years old. He told me at least your debut was better than mine. I realised he was dismissed for a golden duck in his debut. He did not face a single ball and was run out. Then he started laughing and joking and I was touched by that gesture.”

MS Dhoni made his debut in 2004 on the tour of Bangladesh where he was dismissed for a diamond duck as he was run-out even before facing a ball. Gill is currently with the Indian squad that is in New Zealand to be a part of the T20I and ODI series. He would be eager to start for the Men in Blue as the second T20I looms on the horizon with the first contest at Wellington washed out without a ball bowled.