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The tragic end of a friend who taught Dhoni 'Helicopter Shot'

Dubai - Without Santosh, the cricket world would have never played the famous shot

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We know you cannot stop admiring the unique talent of Indian cricket superstar MS Dhoni when he nonchalantly plays his famous 'helicopter' shot against the world's best bowlers.
Despite possessing a wide range of shots, the unconventional helicopter shot became Dhoni's signature style in his career.
The helicopter shot requires great power, tremendous hand-eye coordination, a relatively high back-lift and incredible bat speed. 
It's an extremely difficult shot to attempt, but Dhoni makes it look ridiculously easy.    

Few big names in international cricket have tried this shot in recent years, but all of them have failed in their effort to match the success Dhoni has achieved. 
Now you will be surprised to know that this peculiar shot was not invented by India's 2011 World Cup winning captain.
Yes, it was not Dhoni, but his old Ranchi friend Santosh Lal who invented it.

The real & reel in 1 frame Congrats @itsSSR you will do more than justice to 1 of d best biopics ever- The Making of @msdhoni 'The Legend' pic.twitter.com/4e0LwuIDj3
- Suniel Shetty (@SunielVShetty) September 28, 2016

That's what we learned after watching the well-crafted biopic on Dhoni - 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story' - by Bollywood director Neeraj Pandey. 
Dhoni learned to play that shot from his old school friend Santosh Lal in Ranchi many years ago.
Santosh, who played first class cricket for Bihar and Jharkhand, was also known in Ranchi for his ability to hit the ball hard. 

Dhoni!Dhoni!Dhoni! Lovely movie. At the end of 3 hours, I was ready for more. Sushant Singh Rajput delivers several acting sixers in style.
- Shobhaa De (@DeShobhaa) October 3, 2016

While playing a game of tennis ball cricket, Dhoni was stunned by Santosh's unusual shot. He soon asked Satosh to teach him the shot and the rest, as they say, is history.
What Santosh was doing in local cricket, Dhoni took it to a different level in international cricket as he gave nightmares to some of the best bowlers in the world.
Dhoni, of course, went on to become the most famous Indian cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar. But despite achieving stardom, Dhoni never forgot his old friend Santosh. In fact, Santosh and few other friends backed Dhoni in his every step during his early days of cricket.

The Kharagpur soft ball matches were shot live. Nobody knew we were shooting and I was under pressure :) https://t.co/p2hzsNLrq4
- Sushant Singh Rajput (@itsSSR) October 2, 2016

But unfortunately, Santosh was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis in 2013. 
Dhoni tried everything to save his old friend and even made arrangements to airlift him to Delhi for better treatment. But Santosh couldn't make it and died at the age of 29.     
"He and Dhoni were the best of friends since childhood. They would play tennis ball games endlessly. They both worked for Railways. Santosh was fearless as a batsman," a friend was quoted as saying by Times of India.
Yes, the fearless Santosh Lal was an unsung hero in the phenomenal Dhoni success story. Without him, the cricket world would have never got a chance to see the unique helicopter shot.