MS Dhoni's die hard fan Hari reveals how India's World Cup 2011 win turned him into Dhoni's devotee

Dhoni had led Indian cricket team to World Cup 2011 win at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

Sarvanan Hari with MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni has millions of fans across the world, but out of all, one of the most famous faces of 'Dhoni fandom' is Saravanan Hari. 

Not to mention, the former India captain and current Chennai Super Kings skipper Dhoni has a craze in the southern part of India. However, Hari, who is from Chennai, wasn't among those who started admiring Dhoni after IPL. 

Saravanan, in a chat with ICC, revealed it was Dhoni's World Cup 2011 final six which made a devotee of the 38-year-old Indian cricketer. "I think he cast a spell on me. How did he do it? By showing us fans the real feel of the World Cup," Hari told ICC Cricket 360. "When India became champions in 2011, I became a massive fan of Dhoni.

"There are so many memorable Dhoni moments. The one that gives me goosebumps is the six he hit in the final of the 2011 World Cup. It is a precious moment, one of the very best."

Hari can be spotted in the stands during IPL. He paints his whole body in yellow and wears a wig to look different from others. 

"When Dhoni won the 2011 World Cup for us, I wanted to do something to show our gratitude. Since I am a local boy, I started going to the Chennai Super Kings matches, painting my body yellow. It took two to three hours to paint the face and the body and an hour to remove the paint. However, I didn't find it tedious because I was doing it for the cricketer I loved," added Hari.

He signed off by saying, "I am ready to do anything for him."

(With ICC inputs)

 
 

By - 19 Sep, 2019

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