The former Indian skipper MS Dhoni has returned to the field to practice for the upcoming 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). In Jharkhand, the wicketkeeper-batsman was seen middling the ball well while facing the pacers and the spinners in the nets.
Meanwhile, on Thursday the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the exclusion of Dhoni from the central contract list. The news left Dhoni fans in particular enraged after Dhoni was left out from the lucrative deal. The legendary cricketer himself has not commented on anything following the announcement from world’s richest board.
The right-handed batsman Dhoni has been on sabbatical ever since the conclusion of the World Cup 2019. Although Dhoni scored a gritty-fifty in the semi-final, he couldn’t help his team to chase down the 241-run target set by New Zealand.
Dhoni’s fluency leaves the Jharkhand coach astounded:
However, amid the speculations regarding his future in the national team, Dhoni is back with a bag in Jharkhand. He is training hard with the young Jharkhand cricketers for the IPL 2020.
The 38-year-old cricketer has stunned the Jharkhand coach, Rajiv Kumar with his fluency while practising in the nets. It has been more than six months that Dhoni has played any cricket. It was expected of him to be a bit rusty with the bat and the gloves. However, he played every ball with ease, be it a fast bowl or the slower ones, and this left the coach Kumar stunned.
“I will be honest… I thought there will be a bit of rustiness as Dhoni has not trained for quite some time. The last time we had spoken, he had said that he would start in January and here you go. He is a man of his words and it came as no surprise that he was out there training with the guys just like any other regular Jharkhand player.
But what surprised me most was how he ‘middled’ almost every ball, be it in the pacer’s net or the spinner’s net. He even took throwdowns just like a player going through the batting drills does,” Jharkhand coach Kumar Kumar told IANS.
Had no discussion about the national team, but his preparations for IPL has begun, says coach Kumar:
While Dhoni is gearing up for IPL 2020, his comeback in the national side has turned doubtful with the recent announcement from BCCI. Dhoni will once again be flaunting the yellow jersey of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the IPL 13. His performance in the 13th edition of the cash-rich league will decide his fate for the 2020 T20 World Cup.
Telling more about his interaction with the veteran Indian cricketer, coach Kumar said that he did not discuss Dhoni’s plan about the national team.
In the meantime, Dhoni is helping the youngsters, interacting with them about their gameplay. Whereas, he will be practising with the Jharkhand team till the time he is around.
“I haven’t had any talks with him with regards to the national team and him donning the India jersey again. But, his preparations for the next edition of the IPL has begun and while the senior team will be busy playing the Ranji Trophy game from Sunday, Dhoni will continue training till the time he is in Ranchi,” said Kumar.
“He is such a professional and has been going on spending time with the youngsters, especially the bowlers. He is discussing the line and length that they should target and the ways to fox the opposition batsmen. He has been as vocal as can be expected from a senior player like Dhoni,” he added.
Dhoni’s presence in the dressing room has often helped youngsters who further went on to prove their credentials.