Former India captain MS Dhoni was expected to play for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 which was scheduled to begin on March 29. But due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the BCCI was forced to suspend the 13th season for an indefinite time. Dhoni fans, however, are still hopeful to see their favourite star’s return.
Last time, Dhoni donned the Indian jersey was in the World Cup semifinal game against New Zealand. Since then, questions have been raised over his future. In fact, the speculations over Dhoni’s future further strengthened after the BCCI decided not to keep him in the centrally contracted players list.
Now, Team India speedster Mohammed Shami has shed light on Dhoni’s return to the international arena. Shami said he, along with his teammates, feels that the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman will come back in the squad. While saying that, Shami also recalled some delightful memories related to MSD.
Shami said Dhoni is a genuine person off the field and he misses the late-night chats and dinners with the Ranchi-born cricketer.
“I played in all the formats under him barring IPL. Concerning guidance, he will always treat his teammates in such a way that you won’t even feel that he is MS Dhoni,” said Shami during an Instagram live session.
“He is such a big player. I have a lot of memories of him. Now also we think Mahi Bhai will come and it will be fun playing. One thing I like is he (Dhoni) likes to sit with everyone and have dinner. There are always two-four people with him. We chat till late night, and these are the things that one misses,” he added.
During the chat, Shami spoke about the future of cricket, especially after the outbreak and impact of COVID-19. Recently, the International Cricket Council (ICC) stated that it would levy a ban on the use of saliva to shine the ball whenever the sport resumes.
The international apex body feels spitting on the ball raises the risk of coronavirus transmission. However, Shami is of the opinion that he could still get reverse swing going even after the proposed ban of the use of saliva.
“There will be difficulties. We have been accustomed to using saliva since childhood. It’s been deeply ingrained … If you are a fast bowler, instinctively you apply saliva to shine the ball. But yes, if you can maintain the shine of the dry ball, it will definitely reverse,” the Amroha-born added further.
“Sweat and saliva work differently. I don’t think it will help. I never tried bowling without saliva. Now because of COVID-19 pandemic, it’s essential to stop using saliva,” concluded Shami.
