Gambhir and Dhoni were on the India A tour to Kenya for a tri-series in 2004.
Former India batsman Gautam Gambhir had the first glimpse of MS Dhoni while featuring for India A. Dhoni made a mark with his outstanding batting performance in India A tour to Kenya for a triangular series.
Gambhir, who was also part of the tour, said Dhoni's hitting ability as a wicketkeeper-batsman had astonished him. Dhoni was the Player of the Series with a couple of centuries and a fifty.
“We went on an India A tour to Kenya and Zimbabwe. We played a triangular series against Pakistan A and Kenya. The way he was hitting the ball we all knew he was someone who could keep wicket and hit the ball that long and that far,” he said on the Cricket Connected Show on Star Sports.
Dhoni was then fast-tracked into the Indian team in 2004 and went on to become the limited-overs captain in 2007 and Test captain in 2008. He won all the three ICC Trophies as India captain and still remains the only international skipper to do so.
Gambhir feels Dhoni deserves what he has achieved so far. "That was not normal for any Indian wicketkeeper to do because before that we had brilliant keepers, but never those hard-hitting players who could hit those 100-meter sixes. He was phenomenal and that’s the reason he’s achieved what he has,” he added.
Dhoni retired from all forms of international cricket in August this year. Having made his debut in 2004, he featured in 350 ODIs, 90 Tests, and 98 T20Is.
(Inputs from Cricket Connected Show on Star Sports)