XtraTime Web Desk: Indian Premier League’s former chairman Rajeev Shukla on Sunday stated that BCCI has no plan for any farewell match for former India skipper MS Dhoni as he himself never asked for it.
His remark comes as Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday to host a farewell match for former skipper Dhoni, who announced his retirement from international cricket.
“Dhoni never expressed any will to the BCCI for a farewell match for him. Since he never raised it, there is no question of any such match,” Shukla told ANI.
Dhoni, who was born and brought up in Ranchi, has played domestic cricket for the state (then in Bihar).
He had represented Bihar, East Zone, and Jharkhand in the domestic circuit. The 39-year-old played 131 first-class matches and scored 7,038 runs at an average of 36.84.
Dhoni had made his ODI debut in 2004 and since then, he changed the face of Indian cricket with his calm demeanour, sharp understanding of the game, and astute leadership qualities.
He is among the most successful captains in world cricket. It was under his leadership that India lifted the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011 after having led India to triumph in the ICC World T20 in its maiden edition of the tournament held in 2007 in South Africa.
With India winning the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013 in England, Dhoni became the first and is still the only captain to date to have won all three ICC Trophies. While his heroics in the limited-overs formats are well documented, it was also under his leadership that India became the number one Test side in 2009 and the team stayed at the top for over 600 days.
He has led India to victory in 21 home Test matches, the most by an Indian captain. Leaving behind a rich legacy that will be difficult to replicate, Dhoni holds the record for most international matches as captain (332).
With inputs from ANI..