Indian former captain and wicket-keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been away from the field after the World cup was concluded. India has played 3 quick format series since the world cup and the veteran was not available for the selections in any of this. However, a report has revealed that the 38-year-old might soon make a come back before IPL 2020.
BCB request over Asia XI
According to sources, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has asked permission from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to approve seven of its top cricketers to be part of the Asia XI team, which is programmed to play two T20 Internationals against the Rest of the World.
These seven players include MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Ravindra Jadeja.
“Yes, Bangladesh is scheduled to host two T20 Internationals between Asia XI and Rest of the World. We are in touch with BCCI and other cricket boards of the Asian region to allow their players to be part of these two games,” BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury told.
The veteran has been out of cricket ever since India was knocked out of the ICC World Cup and since then Dhoni’s status of coming back to play remains unknown. It is now up to both BCCI and Dhoni himself to take a call on this request. However, it is uncertain when exactly we can see him in action.
A Possibility
Ravi Shastri was recently asked about Dhoni’s return. To which he suggest to wait till IPL. “It all depends on when he starts playing and how he is playing during the IPL. What are other people doing with the wicketkeeping gloves or what is the form of those players as opposed to Dhoni’s form? What I would say is rather than speculating who is where, wait for the IPL to get over and then you are in a position to take a call on who is the best 17 in the country, said Shastry.
Coming back to the Asia XI, it continues to be seen if the BCCI does surely give a green signal to BCB’s appeal as this could then offer certainty over Dhoni.