MS Dhoni’s on and off relationship with domestic cricket continued after he surprisingly decided to give the group stages of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy a miss despite there being no India assignments.
Dhoni, who featured in Jharkhand’s all six Vijay Hazare matches, attracting a huge crowd wherever he played last year, is uncertain to play even one this year.
The Asia Cup final on September 28 against Bangladesh in Dubai was the last time Dhoni played competitive cricket. Since then, Jharkhand has played three Vijay Hazare Trophy matches but Dhoni featured in none. The former India captain is unlikely to turn up for Jharkhand’s final group match against Services on Thursday.
Jharkhand, currently at the top of Group C and almost assured of a spot in the knockouts unless something horribly goes wrong, is not assured of getting the services of their most high-profile cricketer even for the business end of the tournament.
Though there are indications that Dhoni might turn up for the knockouts starting from October 14, the Jharkhand officials are not fully confident and even more surprisingly, they are not even concerned about it. “Dhoni has been training with the team since September and has been involved in all aspects of the game. He has been playing the role of mentor. It hardly matters if a player of his stature takes part in the Vijay Hazare Trophy,” Jharkhand Cricket Association secretary Debasish Chakraborty told Mirror.
Having already hung his boots from Test cricket three years ago, there is no question of Dhoni tiring himself out because of India’s busy schedule. Before the Asia Cup, he got a gap of 2 months, his last ODI being in England on July 17. Knowing that the Vijay Hazare Trophy will be the last opportunity to get some quality match practice before India leaves for Australia in November, Dhoni’s decision to skip it is bound to raise some uncomfortable questions.