Ranji Trophy 2016/17: Mentor M.S. Dhoni To Be Present With Jharkhand Team During Ranji Semi-Final
Dec 30, 2016 at 7:59 PM
Th Indian limited overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will again land in the Jharkhand cricket team camp as the veteran player will join the squad before their first ever Ranji Trophy semi-final against Gujarat in Nagpur. Dhoni is currently the so-called mentor of the team and will be there with the team in Nagpur, to train with the boys, “He should be there in Nagpur in all probability. He wants to be there. Interactions with him have always been helpful for the boys,” a source close to the team management told PTI.
Dhoni’s presence will not just benefit the team but it will also go in Dhoni’s favour as it will be a crucial net session for him ahead of the start of ODI and T20I series aginst England. He hasn’t played any competitive game from October 29 and this session will be an ideal one for him. However, reports have also suggested that Dhoni will be the part of India A squad which is scheduled to play two practice games against England before the start of limited overs series.
This is not the first time when Dhoni has landed in Jharkhand camp in the month of October as well Dhoni dropped in the team’s camp and spent hours at Karnail Singh stadium in Delhi.
Dhoni last year turned up for Jharkhand in Vijay Hazare Trophy, coming back to domestic cricket after an exile of eight years. He is again expected to turn up for Vijay Hazare Trophy which starts from February 25. It will be his choice whether to lead the team or not as last year as well he let Varun Aaron lead the team.
The upcoming series against England will be the last international series for Dhoni and Indian team before they fly England to defend the Champions Trophy title. So Dhoni will look to glean benefits from the last international series before the crucial tournament.
Jharkhand will take on Gujarat in the first semi-final at Nagpur whereas Mumbai will take on Tamil Nadu in the second semi-final of Ranji Trophy 2016/17.