'Prime Sports', a testament to MS Dhoni's camaraderie with a childhood friend

"Dear Chotu Bhaiya, thanks for everything. Our 20 years long friendship is still going strong. I still remember the efforts taken by you to get me my first sponsorship. Our bike rides, the time I spent in your shop… I remember everything vividly and I will cherish them forever. I will miss those days. Thanks again. With best wishes, Mahi."

If you visit Prime Sports – a single-room shop crammed with cricket accessories from floor to ceiling along the Mahatma Road at Sujata Chowk in the heart of Ranchi city – you will be able to see these words inscribed on a bat kept inside a glass cabinet. That heartfelt note is written by none other than India's two-time World Cup-winning skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. This small shop is owned by Paramjit Singh, a childhood friend of Dhoni. 

Recently, the maverick wicketkeeper-batter had sent his millions of fans into a frenzy when he began training for the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League sporting a new sticker on his bat. The Internet was abuzz with speculations after former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist commented on Dhoni's new bat sticker during an Australia-West Indies game, saying that the label, which read 'Prime Sports', was that of a "local sports store of one of his schoolmates".

'Prime Sports' is located about 15 kilometres from Dhoni's residence in Ranchi. It is a small, unpretentious sports goods store run by Paramjit. On one side of the shop, various cricket accessories are kept for sale. On the other side, there are some bats, including the one with Dhoni's note, on display inside a glass cabinet. When asked about the other bats in the collection, Paramjit said, "One bat among them is autographed by all Indian players. It was given to me by Dhoni." 

In fact, Paramjit had never asked Dhoni for any such gift. This heartwarming display underscores Dhoni's close bond with his childhood friend, who played a key role in the early stages of his cricketing journey.  

Paramjit used to play cricket and the two met on a cricket field in Ranchi way back in 1993. "Dhoni remains the same person whom I met decades ago. He has not changed a bit," Paramjit says.  

Paramjit, who identified the potential in a young Dhoni, stood firmly behind him and wholeheartedly supported him to realise his dreams. When Paramjit opened a sports apparel store in Ranchi, Dhoni attended local tournaments with a bat sporting the label 'Prime Sports'. 

However, when Dhoni was called up to the state Ranji Trophy team, he needed a big sponsor to fund him. In the next six months or so, Paramjit took great pains to find a sponsor for Dhoni. He travelled to Jalandhar in Punjab for several times and finally he succeeded in convincing a business house of Dhoni's potential. Their deep-rooted bond is beautifully depicted in the 2016 biographical film, "MS Dhoni: The Untold Story," which shed light on the cricketer's personal and professional life.  

Paramjit never sought favours from Dhoni even when the latter became Team India captain. Although Dhoni had offered him tickets to watch Team India's matches, Paramjit had always turned down the offer politely.  

"When we meet, we don't discuss big things. We talk about cricket very rarely. We would recall those good-old days and have fun. That’s all," the soft-spoken and self-effacing Paramjit says.