MS Dhoni not given central contract by BCCI due to BJP clout, theorizes Congress social media head

It was the first time since his debut in 2004, that MS Dhoni wasn't given a BCCI annual contract.

MS Dhoni | ReutersMS Dhoni is one of the most polarizing cricketers in Indian cricketing history. He either has die-hard supporters or people who utterly dislike him, there is no in-between when it comes to loving or disliking the former Indian captain.

The Indian cricket board (BCCI) recently announced their list of annual contracts for the Indian players and there was a huge surprise, as MS Dhoni wasn’t given one for the upcoming cricketing calendar. This was the first time, the veteran cricketer found himself out of favor with the board and though officials of BCCI said that he wasn’t given a contract due to technical reasons, many thought that it was the writing on the wall for the 38-year-old, who hasn’t played cricket since 2019 World Cup semi-final.

MS Dhoni practices with Jharkhand Ranji team; brings his own bowling machine

Meanwhile, one person associated with the Indian National Congress (INC), has given this a new twist as he accused the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) of influencing the decision of not giving Dhoni a central contract. It has to be noted that the son of the home minister and ex-BJP President Amit Shah, Jay Shah holds a secretary post in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Gaurav Pandhi, whose Twitter profile shows that he is the National Coordinator, Digital Communications & Social Media at INC, mentioned that BJP had approached Dhoni to join BJP and contest polls in Jharkhand. Dhoni refused to do so as he wanted to continue with his cricket career. He was then asked to campaign for the party in the state and he refused to do that as well and that is why BCCI refused to renew his central contract.

He tweeted, “So, apparently the BJP reached out to MS Dhoni during Jharkhand elections wanting him to join & contest but he refused since he wants to continue with cricket. He was then asked to campaign, which too he denied. Result? His contract isn't renewed this year by BCCI. INSANE! ????”

Pandhi further expanded on his point by talking about the 'Politicisation of Cricket' by BJP. He shared a photo with Jay Shah sitting and being surrounded by Sourab Ganguly, N Srinivasan and Rajiv Shukla amongst others. 

He tweeted, "Those concerned about 'Politicisation of Cricket' by the BJP must know 1) they did tell you who is the boss at BCCI 2) please go check how, when & why MS was forced to retire from Test Cricket. The man who led & won us World Cup is being treated so unfairly!"

 

 
 

By Jatin Sharma - 17 Jan, 2020

    Share Via