MS Dhoni steers pitch roller at JSCA; video goes viral

Whatever MS Dhoni does, the headlines are never too far from him. The 38-year-old cricketer is absent from the international stage for almost eight months now and has not featured in any domestic assignment either. Yet, the former World Cup-winning captain’s fans never lose sight of him and are eagerly waiting for him to make a dream comeback to the game in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 starting in a month.

The wicketkeeper-batsman’s ardent fans want him to set the IPL stage on fire so that the selectors feel compelled to pick him for the T20 World Cup scheduled in Australia later this year.

MS Dhoni to play in IPL 2020 next

MS Dhoni recently found himself dropped from the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) central contract and it was seen by many as the end of the road for him.

However, his fans are not ready to give it up yet and with no player still looking settled as Dhoni’s successor in the national team, the hope is still alive. Dhoni recently appeared for some training sessions and is also set to start his preparation for the upcoming IPL season earlier than before. He will lead Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the T20 tournament, eyeing the record-equalling fourth title.

On Wednesday, Dhoni’s official fans’ Twitter handle posted a video of the Ranchi cricketer steering a roller levelling the pitch at the ground of Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA), the governing body of the game in his home state Jharkhand. The video was taken on Tuesday and captioned “One Man, Different Roles”.

One Man, Different Roles 😇💙

Mahi trying his hands on pitch roller machine at JSCA yesterday! #DhoniAtJSCA #MahiWay #Dhoni pic.twitter.com/Hl0TZND4V0

— MS Dhoni Fans Official (@msdfansofficial) February 26, 2020

Dhoni, who led India to two World Cup triumphs in 2007 (in 20 overs) and 2011 (50 overs), has also been one of the country’s best finishers in limited-over cricket. However, of late, though Dhoni’s glovework has remained as agile, his batting has slowed down considerably, leaving the fans disappointed even on a big stage like the World Cup.

Dhoni last played for India in the semi-final of the ICC World Cup against New Zealand in July last year and failed to take his team to the final despite leading a massive fightback. A brilliant piece of fielding from Martin Guptill ended Dhoni’s innings and he has not been seen donning the blues ever since.