SPOT THE DIFFERENCE: SUSHANT SINGH DHONI IN ACTION

Kharagpur relived on Wednesday evening its first glimpse 13 years ago of a man who could send a cricket ball soaring into the stands with the flick of a wrist.

The occasion? A four-overs-a-side knockout cricket tournament replicating the one in 2002 in which Mahendra Singh Dhoni had provided a peek into what was to follow and become a part of this cricket-crazy town's folklore.

The highlight? A young man with a mane trying to emulate Mahi with bat and ball.

Actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who is playing the title role in Neeraj Pandey's biographical MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, moved, batted, walked and even shadow-practised like Mahi, according to "extra" Riten Prasad, who had played in the original tournament.

As Sushant, representing Durga Sporting in the film, went after the bowling on cue, the crowd erupted. He missed a few and edged a couple too, but going by the running commentary over hailers you couldn't have guessed that he was troubled by the bowlers at any time!

An electrician employed with IIT-Kharagpur said Dhoni's sixes used to be much bigger but Sushant's hitting prowess did take many in the crowd by surprise.

Metro watched the "Dhoni rematch" and felt the pulse of the audience on a night soaked in nostalgia and pride.

Dhoni doppelganger

Sushant rehearsing his front-foot off drive with a short backlift, Sushant briskly walking out to bat, Sushant running between wickets like a hare while holding the bat with both hands.

For the motley crowd at the Dhobi Ghat ground near Malancha that included some of Dhoni's former teammates, it was like the olden days when Mahi was the master of all he surveyed.

Robin Kumar, Dhoni's first captain at South Eastern Railway in 2001, and Rajesh Singh, who is in charge of the South Eastern Railway Sports Authority, conceded that Sushant looked the part. So did the twenty-something Riten, who has played both tennis-ball and leather-ball cricket with Dhoni bhaiyya.

"Sushant is slightly taller and fairer than Dhoni. But he has definitely put in a lot of time and effort in getting into Dhoni's skin and it is paying dividends. Bollywood ko manna parega (Have to admit Bollywood has got it right)," said an old-timer who used to play with Dhoni.

Under floodlights, and cheered by an indulgent audience, Sushant revelled in the freedom to play his shots without a target to chase and a wicket to lose! Cross-batted sixes over mid-on and a helicopter shot out of nowhere to send the ball into space capped an innings for the camera that the real Dhoni might have stood up to applaud.

Real versus reel

Old friends of Dhoni at the Dhobi Ghat shoot couldn't immediately recollect the name of the 2002 tournament that had launched his career. In MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, Sushant in the role of Mahi will be seen turning out for Durga Sporting in the Soumen Karmakar Memorial two-day day-and-night knockout tennis ball cricket tournament.

Sixteen teams had participated in the original tournament at the BNR Ground, with Dhoni's club winning the trophy after his star turn with bat and ball.

For the shoot, the venue was the Dhobi Ghat ground, where the Star Unit team practises. Three teams comprising local players - Uni Golden, Arambati and Red Field - were made to play a match each with Durga Sporting, which had Sushant and three other actors playing his teammates Robin, Deepak Singh and Jayesh Shukla.

Dhoni's Kharagpur connection dates back to when he joined South Eastern Railway as a ticket collector in 2001. When he didn't have official matches to play for his office, he would turn out for various teams in tennis-ball matches, called khep khela in local parlance. Nobody had heard of IPL then, of course!

"I have fond memories of travelling with Dhoni bhaiyya to places like Balichak, Debra and Contai to play. He didn't have a bike at first but later bought a Yamaha RX100," recalled Riten.

Crowd confusion

Four or six-over tournaments under lights have long been a cricket staple in Kharagpur. On Wednesday, many in the crowd initially seemed confused about whether actor Sushant was playing in a real tournament or just being Dhoni.

It was only when cameras were positioned at silly point to capture Sushant keeping wickets or bowling that it became apparent to the crowd that they were part of a shoot.

Guards roamed the periphery throughout, confiscating the mobile phones of anyone trying to record or take a picture of the proceedings.

Pictures by Sanat Kumar Sinha

Is Sushant Singh Rajput the best choice to play Dhoni? Tell ttmetro@abpmail.com