Cricket is often considered to be a religion in India. The craze for the sport and the love and admiration that cricketers finds no parallel in the country. And if someone is of the stature of MS Dhoni, then chances are that you won't go unrecognised in the streets in any corner of the nation.
Dhoni continues be one of the most popular cricketers even after he announced his retirement from international cricket in 2020. He only plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and is currently leading the Chennai franchise in the 2023 edition of the competition. However, turns out that even the pilot who was flying CSK's plane was a fan of the legendary skipper.
In a video which is going viral on social media, the pilot even makes a special request to Dhoni not only acknowledging the four-time IPL winning captain's legacy but also requesting him to be the captain of the side in the years to come.
"Please continue to be a captain of CSK. I'm a huge fan of you, sir," the pilot can be heard saying in a video going viral on social media.
CSK lost their season opener against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad but came back to winning ways at their home ground in Chennai where they edged the Lucknow Super Giants by 12 runs. Their next encounter is going to be a crucial one as they take on Mumbai Indians in an away game.
MI also lost their first match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and will play their first home game of the season against their arch-rivals. Notably, MI and CSK are the two most successful sides in the competition and their rivalry is called as the El Clasico of the T20 competition. Chennai all-rounder Moeen Ali even called it the Manchester United vs Liverpool in football terms.
The match is scheduled later on Saturday with the first match set to be bowled at 07:30 pm (IST).