The Indian cricket fans likely to rejoice soon as former captain MS Dhoni would return to the field ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. As per an India Today report, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has sought permission from the BCCI to allow seven of its top players to be inducted into the Asia XI team, which is scheduled to play two T20 Internationals against the Rest of the World.
“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 was quoted as saying.
It has been further learned that, besides Dhoni, the other Indian cricketers who have been asked to be released are captain Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Ravindra Jadeja.
Dhoni has been out of action since India’s unfortunate exit from the ICC World Cup 2019 following their loss to New Zealand in the semi-finals. He served in the Indian army thereafter and wasn’t available for the limited-overs series against Bangladesh and West Indies.
Meanwhile, head coach Ravi Shastri expressed his thoughts on the future of the former skipper. He said, “Half the guys commenting on can’t even tie their shoelaces. Look at what he’s achieved for the country. Why are people in a hurry to see him off? Maybe, they don’t find enough talking points. He and everybody who knows him know he’ll be going away soon. So, let it happen when it has to.”
“Let me say this: MS Dhoni has earned the right to retire when he wants to. And let this debate end once and for all,” he further added.