Usman Tariq Reveals MS Dhoni Movie Inspired His Interest In Cricket

Inspired by the MS Dhoni biopic in 2016, Usman Tariq returned to cricket after working in Dubai and is now representing Pakistan at the T20 World Cup 2026.

Pakistan cricketer Usman Tariq’s journey back to the game was shaped by an unlikely source, the biopic of former India captain MS Dhoni. In 2015, Tariq moved to Dubai in search of a stable job. Having lost his father before the age of four, he became the sole breadwinner of his family and stepped away from cricket.

After working several short-term jobs, the tall all-rounder from Nowshera in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa secured a steady role as a purchase coordinator at a real estate firm.

Everything changed in late 2016 when he watched MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, a film based on Dhoni’s life. The story of Dhoni working as a ticket checker before rising to cricketing greatness struck a chord with Tariq.

“I came back to cricket after watching the MS Dhoni movie. After watching that movie, I felt our stories were similar. I was doing a job and he was also doing a job (before taking cricket seriously). So I felt like here’s a person who has created history. I am a simple human being, too. Perhaps I can adopt the same pathway but I would need to do a lot of hard work like all others have done. I came back to cricket just because of MS Dhoni,” Tariq said in Colombo.

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Determined to give cricket another chance, Tariq began training with renewed focus. His hard work paid off. Over the past few years, he impressed in franchise leagues such as the CPL, PSL and ILT20. He earned his maiden Pakistan cap in a T20I series against Australia in January and later picked up three wickets against USA on his T20 World Cup debut.

Usman Tariq’s Rise To Fame in Cricket

Tariq also drew attention for his unique bowling action. Ahead of the high-profile India-Pakistan clash, even opposition players attempted to imitate him in practice. He later dismissed Suryakumar Yadav and finished with figures of 4-0-25-1 against India.

“It is a good sign for me, I guess, that opposition teams are preparing for me on how to tackle Usman Tariq. I get more confidence from the fact that there is some special preparation being done to play against me. I am also enjoying every moment. I was feeling that the way the Indian batters were playing me, they were quite focused. They did not want to give the wicket to Usman so they stuck to their plans while I was persisting with my own plans to try and get us a wicket.” Tariq added.