MS Dhoni in The Hundred: Shane Warne considering Dhoni to represent London Spirit at Lord’s

MS Dhoni in The Hundred: The prospect of former Indian captain playing in a new format sounds doubtlessly intriguing.

Much like the whole cricket fraternity across the globe, former Australia spinner Shane Warne has also eulogized about former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni after he announced his retirement from international cricket yesterday.

Speaking on Sky Sports during the second Test of the ongoing Pakistan’s tour of England in Southampton, Warne talked about Dhoni being among the all-time great wicket-keeper batsmen.

“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 [Super Kings] have won [the IPL] three times. A terrific cricketer. You think back to some of the games that he [MS Dhoni] 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 wicket-keeper batsmen,” Warner told Sky Sports.

MS Dhoni in The Hundred

Although the chances appear bleak, Warne revealed his ambition of signing Dhoni for the inaugural season of The Hundred. Originally slated to begin this year, England Cricket Board’s novel 100-ball got postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Warne, who is the coach of London Spirit, showing interest in someone of Dhoni’s calibre for a format such as The Hundred is no surprise. With Dhoni retiring from international cricket now, there might be similar offers for him in the near future.

When countered by former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram with respect to his budget to acquire Dhoni’s services, Warne mentioned that he would find the money to bring him onboard.

“I just wonder if I could get him [MS Dhoni] 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 said.

If, by any chance, Warne manages to crack the deal, Dhoni’s ardent fans will get to see him playing alongside the likes of Eoin Morgan, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Amir and others at London Spirit next year.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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