MS Dhoni among 7 Indian players to play for Asia XI? BCB reaches out to BCCI for marquee event

It’s been a while since MS Dhoni was spotted on the cricket field donning the jersey of the Indian national team. With his chances of a comeback remaining fairly slim, his fans might get to see him playing an international game once again next year, although it won’t be for the Indian team. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has proposed the idea of featuring as many as seven Indian players (including Dhoni) in the Asia XI vs World XI T20 game which will take place in Dhaka on March 18 and 21st next year.

As per a report, other than Dhoni, the cricketers for which BCB has sought permission from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravindra Jadeja.

“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 in the report.

Dhoni, in fact, was also a part of the Asia XI’s Africa XI ODI series in 2007, the third match of which saw him smash a whopping 97-ball 139. The Asian side had won the series 3-0.

Since India’s elimination from the 2019 ICC World Cup semi-final, Dhoni has been on a break from international cricket. Starting from India’s tour of West Indies earlier this year, the veteran wicket-keeper batsman has kept himself out of contention for the spot behind the stumps but hasn’t yet commented on his short or long-term future.

Although he has been named in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) retained list for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 season, if the BCCI agrees to BCB’s request, fans might get to see one of India’s biggest cricketing sons sooner on the field.

As for India’s schedule, the final fixture of the 3-match ODI series against South Africa will be played on March 18th, which makes the release of the likes of Kohli, Rohit, Hardik and other mainstream players impossible. As for Dhoni, since he is no longer being considered for the national team, an appearance in the Asia XI could be possible.