Dhoni and his Ranchi friends – Early video shows cricketer before his rags-to-riches story began (watch video)

March 1, 2016, NewsCrunch

An early video of most successful Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a must watch.

It shows him bantering with his Ranchifriends, in a slightly shy but playful manner.

The video was probably taken just before he made it big – you can see him in the longish hairstyle he came with when he made his international cricket debut.

It is obvious that none of his friends had any inkling that Dhoni would go on to win  two World Cups and become one of the most richest and famous sportsmen of our times.

There was a reason to.

Growing up in a lower middle-class family in Ranchi, Dhoni took to cricket only after 10^th standard.   His wicket keeping skill and ball hitting ability got him a slot in Bihar’s Ranji team, which also got him the job of a ticket collector in the Indian Railways.

Between 2001 and 2003, that is till 13 years ago, Dhoni was in this job of checking tickets wearing a black coat, which must have sounded like a big break for the lad from Jharkhand. But his wheels of fortune would continue to turn.

The video uploaded in 2009 has been viewed by nearly one million times.