Tag: wicketkeeper-batsman

MS Dhoni chills out with friends in Ranchi.

Source – crictracker.com

While the rest of Indian cricket may feel anxious and curious about his future, former India captain MS Dhoni seems to be least concerned. The 38-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman who last played for India in the ICC World Cup in England hasn’t yet called it quits from international cricket and that has kept everybody, from the administrators to the supporters, guessing. And recently, the ‘cool’ cricketer was seen chilling out with his biker friends on the streets of Ranchi.

On Saturday, Dhoni joined the birthday celebrations of his childhood friend Seemant Lohani at his farmhouse at Kailashpati on the outskirts of Ranchi. His friends gathered on the occasion and the ace cricketer was seen busy smearing cake on his friend’s face. Dhoni recently was present at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi where he met his India teammates as they took on South Africa in a Test match. Earlier this year, too, Dhoni had invited the Indian cricketers at his farmhouse after they visited his hometown to play against Australia in an ODI.

MS Dhoni hasn’t played for India after World Cup 2019

Dhoni has kept himself away from the national assignments ever since India crashed out of the World Cup in July. He went for military training during India’s tour of the West Indies and also gave the subsequent series against South Africa and Bangladesh a miss. He may be seen featuring in India’s home series against the West Indies next month and particularly the poor form of Rishabh Pant has encouraged his fans. They are even hopeful that Dhoni will end up playing in the T20 World Cup in Australia next year.

Former captain Sourav Ganguly, who took over as the president of the BCCI last month, clarified that he was going to have a discussion with Dhoni over his retirement issue. Ganguly also conceded that the right to retire is Dhoni’s personal one.

With over 10,000 runs in the 50-over format, Dhoni has won India the world titles in both the 20 and 50-over formats since 2007. He has also won India the Champions Trophy besides a multilateral ODI tournament and bilateral T20I series in Australia.

MS Dhoni determined in setting up a cricket academy in Ranchi.

Source – crictracker.com

While the Indian cricket team keeps scaling new heights each time they take the field in all the formats of the game, veteran MS Dhoni’s speculation on making a comeback is still dominating the news. It remains under a cloud of uncertainty whether the 38-year old will retake the field or the semi-final game against the Kiwis in the World Cup 2019 was his swansong.

However, Dhoni has remained in touch with the sport outside the field as well and is reportedly determined to open an academy in his hometown of Ranchi. The wicketkeeper-batsman is set to fulfill his desire of opening a center of learning in Ranchi where aspiring cricketers can harness their skills to make it big.

As reported by Times Now, Arka sports, an organization of Dhoni’s long-time friend Mihir Diwakar, has been searching for a piece of land and considering all goes as planned, the academy could be fully set up in two years. Besides that, the reports also say that they also have the option of tying up the academy with a local school.

The source was quoted as saying “Aarka Sports, a company of Dhoni’s childhood friend and manager Mihir Diwakar, has been looking for a piece of land to open an academy and if all goes as per plan, we shall see an academy in the city in the next couple of years,”. The Ranchi-born batsman has also established academies in Indore, Delhi, Patna, Bokaro, Nagpur, Varanasi. An academy is also planned to be built in Siliguri.

Ravi Shastri firm on letting MS Dhoni decide on his future

Speaking of Dhoni’s immediate future, coach Ravi Shastri was crystal clear in his words, conceding that the former captain has earned the right to retire from the game as desired. He also criticized the people calling for his retirement and hailed him for what he has achieved for the nation.

Shastri said, “Half the guys commenting on Dhoni can’t even tie their shoelaces. Look at what he’s achieved for the country. Why are people in a hurry to see him off? Maybe, they don’t find enough talking points,” Shastri said. “Let me say this: M.S. Dhoni has earned the right to retire when he wants to. And let this debate end once and for all”.