‘He told me that I’d deserved this opportunity’: Stuart Binny recalls Dhoni’s words on Test debut at Nottingham in 2014 | Cricket - Hindustan Times
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‘He told me that I’d deserved this opportunity’: Stuart Binny recalls Dhoni’s words on Test debut at Nottingham in 2014

By, New Delhi
Aug 30, 2021 05:21 PM IST

Binny revealed the best moment of his cricketing sting with Team India. In an interview, the 37-year-old said receiving his debut Test cap from former captain MS Dhoni is the moment he would cherish for life.

All-rounder Stuart Binny announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Monday. In his 2-year long international career, the Karanataka cricketer represented India in 6 Tests, 14 ODIs and 3 T20Is. He was also a part Team India at the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, but didn’t get a game.

MS Dhoni and Sturat Binny: File photo(Getty)
MS Dhoni and Sturat Binny: File photo(Getty)

Binny’s career was short but he some of his heroics hold a special place in the history of Indian cricket. After making his Test debut at Notingham in 2014, he went on to score 78 runs off 118 balls. Prior to this knock, he registered the figures of 6 for 4 against Bangladesh, which remains the best Indian bowling figure in ODIs.

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After announcing his retirment, Binny revealed the best moment of his cricketing sting with Team India. In a conversation with Asianet Newsable, the 37-year-old said receiving his debut Test cap from former captain MS Dhoni is the moment he would cherish for life.

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“I think my best moment from Indian cricket is when I received my Test cap from MS Dhoni at Nottingham. That’s the moment which I would cherish the most,” said Binny.

“He [MS Dhoni] told me that I had deserved this opportunity and that I had performed consistently well in the Ranji Trophy for three-four seasons. And obviously, if you can do it in the Ranji Trophy, it is just a matter of believing that I could do well in Test cricket as well. He also assured me that I had the full support of the Indian team, and he wanted me to go out and express myself,” he added.

Despite a decent start to his career, Binny didn’t get many chances to showcase his talent. He had 194 runs at an average of 21.55 and picked up three wickets in the red-ball format. In ODIs, he scored 230 runs and picked up 20 wickets.

Speaking about the decision of retirement, the all-rounder said the irregularity of domestic cricket due to Covid made him take this step.

“I think I have reached a stage where cricket has become difficult for me because of the pandemic. First and foremost, there was not enough cricket played in the last two years. And, to be a professional cricketer, you need to be playing cricket continuously and also practice regularly.

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“Also, it is difficult to carry on as a cricketer if you are only practising and not getting game time. Thus, I felt that my best years had passed as a professional, and I also did not want to continue just because I loved playing it. I depended heavily on my performances as well, and I felt that it was the right time to make that decision,” Binny said.

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