Just a night before the final match of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy between India and Pakistan, a delightful picture of legendary Indian captain MS Dhoni and Sarfaraz Ahmed’s son surfaced across all platforms.
This wholesome photograph with Dhoni holding Sarfaraz’s son Abdullah, who was just three months old at that time, went viral in no time. Eight years later, on the eve of the Champions Trophy 2025, Sarfaraz, now opened the lid on the story. Being a wicketkeeper, just like Dhoni, he talked about how their conversation went that night.
“I was at our family friends’ place when Dhoni came downstairs. He thought it looked perfect to take a picture with my three-month son while he still could,” Sarfaraz said to Cricket Pakistan while recounting the iconic picture.
Sarfaraz went on to captain Pakistan to the Champions Trophy 2017 title, becoming the first Pakistan captain since Imran Khan to win a 50-over ICC title. Pakistan won a one-sided final at The Oval.
However, Sarfaraz said there was an insightful conversation he shared with Dhoni that evening.
“I had a lengthy conversation with Dhoni about wicket-keeping in cricket. I asked him how he managed to balance the three roles of a wicketkeeper, batsman, and captain. The tips Dhoni gave me helped immensely. He was quite humble and kind while he advised me,” Sarfaraz said.
India and Pakistan are to meet again in the Champions Trophy 2025. While Pakistan will host the tournament, the India-Pakistan match will take place in Dubai. The match will be played on Sunday, 23 February, 2025.
This marks the first time Pakistan host any big ICC event since it co-hosted the 1996 World Cup.
Sarfaraz said that India and Pakistan had not played each other in bilateral series since 2013; the players of both nations, however, share a cordial relationship and mutual respect.
“Whenever Indian and Pakistani players meet, there is always mutual respect and friendship. After matches, one often sees players like Shoaib Malik, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, and others getting together to sit, talk, and enjoy each other’s company,” Sarfaraz noted.
While India and Pakistan have been drawn along with New Zealand and Bangladesh in Champions Trophy 2025.
Where Pakistan will aim for their second title in a row, India hopes to claim the Champions Trophy for the record number of times. At the moment, both India and Australia possess two trophies each.