From MS Dhoni to Shikhar Dhawan, Indian cricketers who are PUBG buffs

The world-famous online multiplayer game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Mobile, known as PUBG Mobile engulfed the world in its gripping format. The craze for the game was so much that people across all age bars and almost all walks of life were pulled towards this addictive game. Surprisingly, even some of the Indian cricketers, who are gaming geeks were drawn by this exciting game. Let’s just look at some of the Indian cricketers who played PUBG during their leisure time.

MS Dhoni
‘Age is just a number’. MS Dhoni has proven it not just on the field but off-field as well. The ‘Captain Cool’ is often known as one of the first members of the Indian team to download the game. He was familiarized with the game by Kedar Jadhav during the Indian Premier League (IPL), where the duo played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Considered one of the quickest learners of the game, Sportskeeda informed "He's an aggressive player who loves to rush, while Kedar gives a lot of the calls to the squad, Dhoni loves to hunt opponents down. He picked it up in 2018, by that time players such as Kedar, Chahal, Dhawan were all regular players, but he was quick learner, and eventually he used to play post dinner or while travelling. But, he was never as regular as the others."

Kedar Jadhav
The native of Maharashtra, Kedar Jadhav is known to have introduced the Indian cricket team to PUBG Mobile in early 2018. Often the players call him the 'In-game leader', given the number of hours he has spent on the game. Considered the most experienced PUBG player, he often guides other players in this game. It is believed that Shikhar Dhawan and Yuzvendra Chahal actually purchased pads, with a better display, to play PUBG on Jadhav’s advice. 
A YahooCricket source said, "He used to play it regularly, whenever he got free time, so other members got curious about, a lot of people tried it out, even Shami was inspired to play the game through him. He's someone who is often shouting on where to drop and stuff, I don't know much about it, but yes, Kedar plays with his CSK teammates as well. Dhoni picked it up from him only."

Yuzvendra Chahal
The wristy spinner, who picked up this virtual game in 2018, is considered to be the second most active player in the PUBG battleground after Kedar Jadhav. He is even spotted playing the game at the airport while waiting for his flight and leaves no chance to accompany Jadhav in playing the game.
As per YahooCricket, "They always play together, even at night, if they are not allotted as roommates, they go to the hotel lobby and play. They are quite competitive about things happening in-game, Chahal is more fun-loving, you can see he does things, that make Kedar angry, but he's genuinely having a good time."

Mohammad Shami
The seamer is quick with the feet on the field but is not that swift with fingers when it comes to playing PUBG on mobile and uses Tab instead. Playing the game with his brothers earlier, he started accompanying the national team quite late, with Jadhav’s assistance. The 'tab player' as he is often known by the teammates, his ease of using the sniper on tab prompted other national team members to switch from the mobile version.
"He always carries around a tab, so when Jadhav got him to play, he was immediately good. He didn't tell anyone he used to play with his brother out of embarrassment, but now he's a regular player with the team. I think he uses the sniper a lot, that's what one can make out from the communication," said the YahooCricket sources. 

Shikhar Dhawan
The prolific hitter of the ball, he picked up the game around the same time as Shami did. He is known to have accompanied his wife in the game from time to time. He is often seen playing PUBG with Chahal, Jadhav, and Shami while waiting for flights.
As per YahooCricket sources, "I have seen Shikhar join them as well, but not as much as the others."

Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey, the middle-order batsman, who plays for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), is an ardent PUBG fan. This was blurted out by his mate Kuldeep Yadav, who also expressed Dhoni, Jadhav’s, and Chahal's love for the game.

Deepak Chahar
The Indian seamer has a lot of fascination for PUBG. Later, he revealed of Dhoni losing interest in PUBG during the lockdown and a new endearing in the form of Call of Duty.