For Indian football team midfielder rudh Thapa, former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is his favourite cricketer.
While answering multiple questions from fans in an Instagram live chat on Indian Football Team's official handle, the 22-year-old wasted no time in going gaga about "Thala Dhoni."
"Obviously Thala is my favourite cricketer. Who else can it be for me," he said.
The midfielder also went on to state how Dhoni would often join the players at Chennaiyin FC for lunch and share different experiences he has had with the Indian cricket team and his life over the years.
"He used to come whenever we had a team lunch. He stayed back to talk to the boys and share his experiences. He's a very down-to-earth guy. There were others who also asked him to come and sit off them, but instead, he always preferred to sit with the footballers," Thapa revealed.
"He'd say, 'Let me sit with the boys and let me share some experiences.' He told us a lot about the struggles he has had to face in his own life, and about his journey in cricket," he added.
Dhoni, the second Indian skipper after Kapil Dev to win the ICC World Cup in 2011, also shared his experience of the quadrennial tournament.
"He also talked about the feeling and the moment when they won the World Cup. And that is something that I will always embrace because he is such a nice guy. What he has done and how successful he is, can be seen by all. Hats off to you, Thala," Thapa said.
Thirty-eight-year-old Dhoni is currently enjoying some time away from the game. He last played competitive cricket during the 2019 World Cup.
This year, Dhoni did not find a place for himself in the BCCI's centrally contracted players list. The board had released the list of central contract list of players for the period from October 2019 to September 2020.
He is the only captain to win all major ICC trophies (50-over World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy).Thapa also shared his experience of captaining the Indian U-22 side for the first time.
"Honestly, at that time, I didn't think that I deserved to be the captain. I spoke to my parents before the match but never told them that I was going to captain. It was only then they watched it on TV that they realised it. It was more special because I assisted one goal and we won the match. I was happy that I could make my parents happy," Thapa concluded.
( With inputs from ANI )