Cricket fans around the world are bracing for the moment MS Dhoni would next take the field. While they might have to wait a bit longer to watch Dhoni take his position at the crease or behind the wickets, they can definitely take joy looking at the picture of him that was shared by the Chennai Super Kings.
On Tuesday, the three-time winner of the Indian Premier League (IPL) shared a still of MS Dhoni donning the team’s yellow and blue outfit on Twitter.
All In For A Bang
Dhoni’s “cool” yet focused eyes seem fixed straight ahead apparently on the incoming delivery. Deservedly, the picture is captioned: “It’s all in the ice”. The clever wordplay was intended to point at his ice cool demeanour.
Having Dhoni back in the game would definitely bring cheer to millions of his fans, who are too upset after his retirement announcement. As captain, Dhoni has steered CSK to numerous victories on the way to three championship titles, making it one of the most successful teams in IPL. In title count, they are just one behind the defending champions – Mumbai Indians.
This Year’s IPL Is In UAE
This year’s edition of the IPL will see the two giants face off in a blockbuster match on the opening day on September 19in Abu Dhabi. Dhoni’s role would be closely watched. His last appearance in international cricket was in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in July 2019.
On September 6, the schedule for the 13th edition of the IPL was announced. The cricket tournament will be played in three cities of the UAE – Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah — this time.
This year the tournament is being conducted with special measures in place that will see players tightly follow the Covid-19 guidelines and never leaving out of their safety bubbles. Despite this, last month, a few members of the CSK contingent had tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Dubai.
Be Careful of MS Dhoni, says Irfan Pathan
Former India pacer Irfan Pathan has cautioned the bowlers ahead of the IPL, to watch out for MS Dhoni, who is fresh out of a retirement. Those close to the cricketer have revealed that former India skipper will at least play the IPL for another couple of years.
Pathan has been at the receiving end too, back in 2010 when Dhoni carted him for 16 runs at Dharamsala, to take CSK into the semi-finals. MSD finished the match in just four balls, smashing 4, 2, 6 and 6.
“When he plays for CSK, he enjoys that, his best comes out as a batsman as well. But in this IPL, I am really looking forward to it. All the bowlers, be careful,” Pathan said.
Earlier, former BCCI president N Srinivasan has revealed how he used his authority to retain him as the skipper of the side. India had lost the Test series in Australia by a massive margin of 0-4, and the selection committee had decided to remove Dhoni as skipper from captaincy, without even picking a replacement.
“This was 2011. India had won the World Cup. And (then) in Australia, we didn’t do well in the Tests. So, one of the selectors wanted to remove him (Dhoni) as the ODI captain. The point is, how do you remove him as the ODI captain?
“He had won the World Cup (just a few months ago). They (selectors) had not even thought of who would be his replacement. There was a discussion and then (before the formal meeting) I said there was no way in which he would not be a player,” Srinivasan told the Indian Express.
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