Indian sports professionals have always shown their admiration towards each other irrespective of what games they represented. Blue Tigers skipper Sunil Chhetri had earlier revealed how he drew inspiration from the legendary boxer M.C. Mary Kom while terming himself as her biggest fan. And now, Indian
footballer Anirudh Thapa has talked about learning from another Indian sports icon — former cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The 22-year-old spoke about how Dhoni’s aggression impressed him the most and even influenced his style of play on the football ground.
“I have always enjoyed watching Dhoni play because of the style he has. The aggression — I really like
that. It has influenced me in my game too, as football is a game where you need to be tough and aggressive,” Thapa said. He further added, “Watching him hit those powerful shots and big sixes has had an effect on me and helped me to get into those 50-50 challenges fiercely and win them.”
It was in August this yearwhen Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket. Thapa mentioned that he was very sad about his retirement; however, he is looking forward to see him
play in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The midfielder has made 55 appearances for Hero ISL side Chennaiyin FC and was part of their title-winning side in the fourth edition of
the competition. He talked about how Dhoni, who is also the co-owner of the same team, would speak to the players and motivate them. “Dhoni is a very humble man, besides being a great person who is always motivating us and sharing his experiences. At team lunches, he would come up and talk to us. He has seen so much in life and all of us are aware of his background. So, what he told us made a big difference. It was amazing to gain that experience and it was truly a fanboy moment for me,” he recalled.
He also shared how Dhoni’s humility wowed him and a group of young players at Chennaiyin. “I remember that after one particular lunch everyone was leaving and some of the young players came up to him to speak to him and ask for his autograph. Other people were calling him but he insisted he would talk to us. He gave us his time and shared his experiences with us. That was the time I realized how humble he was. It is one of the biggest positives I have seen and learnt from him,” he said.