Former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, on Saturday (November 11), inaugurated first his global cricket academy in Dubai, United Arabia Emirates. Dhoni opened the academy in the presence of trainees, parents and other key stakeholders of the facility.
Inaugurating ' MS Dhoni Cricket Academy ' in Dubai @msdhoni
Video Credit : @pacific_club @parvezkhan35 #MSDhoni #Dhoni #PacificSportsClub #msdca #Dubai #MSDinDubai #springdalesschooldubai pic.twitter.com/96ANLZWR2P— MS Dhoni 7781 #TataIPL #ChennaiSuperKings (@msdhoni_7781) November 11, 2017
The academy has been jointly launched by Dubai-based Pacific Sports Club and Aarka Sports Club and has been in operation for the last two months at the Springdales School in Al Quoz.
The academy named the MS Dhoni Cricket Academy (MSDCA) will provide the budding cricketers with the best of coaching facilities and will have coaches from India. The academy, which is located in one of the most sought-after cities in the world, consists of four turfs, three cement and three matted pitches, spin and swing bowling machine, safety nets, lights for night practice, in-house sports shop for quality cricket gear and video analysis.
According to Press Trust of India, the academy will conduct regular matches and will also field squads in tournaments to help the trainees get the much-needed match experience.
Team Pacific Sports Club welcomes MS Dhoni to Dubai, check out the exclusive photos! #mydubai #Pacificsportsclub pic.twitter.com/WVACmpNATA
— Pacific Sports Club (@pacific_club) November 11, 2017
Expressing his delight over opening the academy, Dhoni said:
“I am delighted to be a part of this venture and will contribute in every way possible to make it a success. It has been my dream to contribute to the game in every way possible. This is the first step in that direction. The enthusiasm of the trainees is what will drive this venture.”
Dhoni finds much-needed support from the team:
Meanwhile, the under-pressure World Cup-winning skipper has been backed by his teammates and coach Ravi Shastri. Dhoni is facing the heat for his knock in the second T20I against New Zealand, but the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and skipper Virat Kohli have made it clear that the 36-year old has the backing of the team.
Recently, Shastri had also slammed Dhoni’s critics, telling Bengali daily Anandabazar Patrika:
“Looks like there are a lot of jealous people around, who just want Dhoni to have a couple of bad days. There are a few people who are waiting to see the end of MS Dhoni. But great players like him decide their own future.
“It [criticism] doesn’t make a difference to me. In our mind we know where Dhoni stands within the team. He is an ultimate team man. He was a great leader and now an ultimate team man,” he added.
Video of the day: