Former India skipper, MS Dhoni makes news no matter what he does on or off the field. Recently, Dhoni was criticized for his slow batting in the final two ODIs in England which resulted in India losing momentum and ultimately the series.
His critics questioned his approach and inability to pull off the big hits while his fans reasoned that it was a one-off situation as India had lost one of the games much before he even came out to bat, citing his current batting position where he doesn't get a lot of time to settle in.
What made bigger news was when Dhoni took the ball from the umpires after the conclusion of the 3rd ODI. The video took no time to go viral on social media and fans wondered if the former India skipper has decided to call time on his international cricket career.
Here is the video:
Here's the video of the MS Dhoni taking the ball from umpires after the game. #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/C14FwhCwfq
— Sai Kishore (@KSKishore537) July 17, 2018
Team India's head coach, Ravi Shastri brushed away all the rumours by saying that MS Dhoni is not retiring and he took the ball only to hand it over to the bowling coach, Bharat Arun. "MS wanted to show the ball to Bharat Arun. He wanted to show him the wear and tear the ball had endured, to get a general idea of what the conditions were like. MS is not going anywhere." said Shastri.
MS Dhoni has confirmed the same today at an event in Mumbai, "We have to keep working. So I took the match ball to see how to get reverse swing in future. So I asked for the match ball from umpire in that last ODI,"
Dhoni's fans can now breathe a sigh of relief as 'Thala' is not retiring anytime soon, not at least before the World Cup in 2019. He was also in the mood to open up on another aspect of his life, which is often talked about. It is well known that Dhoni rarely picks up phone calls. It's perhaps easier to reach PM Narendra Modi than the former Indian skipper.
"Me and technology, there is a big divide. I don't use phones so much and there are lot of stories I don't pick up phones. But I do use technology as well. When I am shown some videos, you wonder if I am playing it right. Technology has to be used in right way," said Dhoni to answer why he remains so tough to get in touch with for everyone.
Dhoni admitted he had a lot to improve in this aspect, and it was very much the reason why he couldn't attend VVS Laxman's retirement bash in 2012. "You think it's a controversy but people who know me always complained that I'm someone who is quite difficult to get hold of. That was one of the reasons why Laxmanbhai could not get hold of me. That's not something new. I have tried to improve but it seems I have not really improved," he said.
MS Dhoni recently became the 12th batsman to score 10,000 runs in one-day cricket. He continues to break a lot of records everytime he plays for India. While India is currently playing a five-match Test series in England, Dhoni has been seen attending a friend's wedding and a game in the ongoing TNPL. He recently also met BJP President, Amit Shah.
India's next limited overs assignment will be the Asia Cup in UAE, where they will be defending champions. Dhoni will look to regain his usual form with the bat and help India win the title once again in the Middle East.
(With inputs from India Today)
