Just hours after Mahendra Singh Dhoni ended his illustrious international career on the Independence Day, Australia's spin legend and head coach of the team London Spirit in 'The Hundred' in UK, offered the great Indian wicketkeeper batsman to turn up for his team when the 100-ball competition eventually gets underway next year.
Formally retired from cricket at the highest level, Dhoni is now eligible as per the BCCI terms to play in overseas short-format leagues.
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While it seems unlikely that Dhoni of all people will be adding any further on-field responsibilities to his kitty apart from leading Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when the inaugural edition of 'The Hundred' hits the floor in 2021 at the age of 40, Warne at least made an effort to try and pursue him into thinking along that line.
"I just wonder if I could get him down to the London Spirit next year for The Hundred. I might put out a call to see if he wants to play at Lord's. I'll find the money, MS!" Warne amusingly said on Sky Sports, for whom he is commentating during the ongoing England-Pakistan Test series.
Warne paid befitting tribute to Dhoni, an inspirational figure in not just Indian cricket but the world game for his exploits as a wicketkeeper batsman and captain of his country.
"In T20 cricket, especially, the best captains, their teams will be in and around the finals all the time - it's so key in T20 cricket - and Chennai have won [the IPL] three times."
"A terrific cricketer. You think back to some of the games that he won for India, off his own back. And you think of his captaincy, his leadership, he was a terrific competitor and a wonderful player. He will go down in history as one of the all-time great wicketkeeper-batsmen."
"He had a calmness about him that was fantastic and he always got the best out of his team, whether it was India, Chennai Super Kings, whoever it was. His players really respected him and responded to the way Dhoni wanted to play the game," Warne said.
