Dhoni told me he would even play with just one leg against Pakistan: Prasad

Bengaluru, August 28: National chief selector, MSK Prasad might have ruffled a few feathers when he said MS Dhoni will have to score runs consistently to secure a berth in the squad for World Cup 2019.

But the episode has not stopped Prasad, a former Indian wicketkeeper, from admiring Dhoni the cricketer.

Speaking at the sidelines of an event, Prasad revealed that despite suffering from a severe back injury on the eve of a match against Pakistan at the Asia Cup, Dhoni went on to take the field.

"While training at the gym late in the night, Dhoni picked up weights and suddenly there was a catch in his back and fell with the weight. Thankfully, the weight did not fall on him. He could not walk, he was literally crawling. He pressed the alarm bell, and the medical staff immediately came and attended him. He was taken on stretcher."

As I reached Dhaka, the journalists questioned about Dhoni and I had no answers. The game against Pakistan was crucial, that too, on a seaming track. So, I went to Dhoni's room to know what the issue was. He said, 'don't worry MSK bhai.' I even asked him what should I tell the scribes, and the answer again was 'don't worry MSK bhai.' I asked him whether we should call for a replacement, and he again told me not to worry,", Prasad said.

However, Prasad was worried. "The next morning I went to his room and he told me not to worry. But I felt things were not right. (As a selector) I couldn't take Dhoni's words for granted, so I called up the then chief selector Sandeep Patil and told him the situation. Immediately, Parthiv Patel was sent in as a replacement. By evening, Parthiv had joined the team," Prasad said.

"I went to his room in the evening and he was just trying to get up from his bed. I asked him if things are alright. As per the Asia Cup rules, we had to submit the team list 24 hours before a game, so I had to check on him. He clearly said he would play."

However, it did not end there as once again Prasad went back to Dhoni.

"Again at 11pm, when I went to his room, he was not there. Fortunately, I went to the top floor and I saw Dhoni was trying hard to walk towards the swimming pool. He was literally crawling. Dhoni said he was trying to walk. I was thinking how could he even think of playing when he could barely walk. Dhoni looked at me and said, 'don't worry, you have anyway got Parthiv without telling me. So, you are safe," Prasad revealed.

However, on the day of the match, Dhoni was ready and this surprised everyone. "Before the team was announced in the afternoon, Dhoni was all dressed up for the game. He called me to his room and asked me why was I worrying so much? Then he said, even if my one leg is not there, I will still play against Pakistan."

Later, Dhoni led India to a win over Pakistan.