Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has appealed to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to organise a farewell match for former India captain MS Dhoni after he announced retirement from international cricket on Saturday. Dhoni is one of the best captains of all-time and led India to numerous victories across all formats of the game.
In what marks the end of an era in Indian cricket, Dhoni drew curtains to what was a glorious career for the wicket-keeper batsman. The 39-year-old played his last game for India in the semi-final of 2019 World Cup against New Zealand last year. Following his retirement, tributes poured in for Dhoni as fans and celebrities around the world bid farewell to the India legend.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Soren took to Twitter to pay tribute to Jharkhand’s favourite son and said the countrymen would like to see Dhoni don the Indian jersey for one last time as he requested the BCCI for a farewell game for the former Indian skipper. Soren said Jharkhand would host the match and the whole world will be a witness to the grand affair.
“We will no longer be able to see Jharkhand’s son Mahi, wearing a blue jersey again. But the countrymen want to see him for one last time. I request BCCI to host a farewell match for MS Dhoni in Jharkhand which the whole world will be a witness to. Jharkhand will like to host the match,” Soren said in a tweet.
मुख्यमंत्री श्री @HemantSorenJMM ने भारतीय क्रिकेट टीम के पूर्व कप्तान श्री @msdhoni द्वारा अंतराष्ट्रीय क्रिकेट से संन्यास की घोषणा के बाद कहा कि देश और झारखण्ड को गर्व और उत्साह के अनेक क्षण देने वाले माही ने आज अंतरराष्ट्रीय क्रिकेट से संन्यास ले लिया है।
— Office of Chief Minister, Jharkhand (@JharkhandCMO) August 15, 2020
Dhoni made his debut for India in an ODI against Bangladesh in December 2004 and went on to establish himself as one of the greatest captains and finishers of the game. He played 350 ODIs, 98 T20Is and 90 Test matches in his illustrious career, amassing 10,773, 4876 and 1617 runs in the three formats respectively.
While he has been one of the most successful captains in Indian cricket, he has also been the most prolific wicket-keeper India has ever produced with a stunning 829 dismissals as a keeper in 538 matches across formats.
