Sanju Samson has said he waited eight years to have a chat with his hero Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Though Sanju had plenty of opportunities over the years to meet India's iconic captain, he held himself back, waiting for the right moment.

"As every young Indian cricketer, I just wanted to be around M S Dhoni. Just to sit around him was a dream as a young cricketer," Sanju said in a special IPL show released on JioHotstar. The Kerala wicket-keeper batter said it had always been difficult to get access to Dhoni because of his superstardom. "Each time I tried to meet him, there were 10 guys on this side and another 10 there. I went and met Mahi bhai after eight years of my IPL. I waited. First, I had to win a match against CSK."

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Sanju made his IPL debut in 2013, but his much-awaited meeting with Dhoni happened only during IPL 2020, which was held in the UAE due to the COVID-19 lockdown. "I scored 70 or 80 and was the man of the match. After that, I went and met Mahi bhai," Sanju said.

Captained by Australian Steven Smith, the Royals made 216/7 with Sanju top-scoring with a 32-ball 74. Dhoni's CSK (Chennai Super Kings) lost by 16 runs. Sanju said his relationship with Dhoni "has been upwards" since their first meeting.

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"It has been a very blessed feeling for any guy wanting to meet his hero and now doing shoots and events with him. I think I'm living my dream," Sanju said. Sanju's Royals will play CSK in their third match of the upcoming IPL season in Guwahati on March 30.

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