Since the inception of the T20 World Cup in 2007, MS Dhoni has been an integral part of Team India in some way or the other. He led India in the first six editions of the tournament in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016 and remains the only Indian captain to have won the T20 World title. He was the team mentor in the last edition of the T20 World Cup in the UAE meaning the current T20 World Cup in Australia will mark the first instance of the tournament in which Dhoni won't be associated with the Indian team.
Ahead of India's T20 World Cup opener against Pakistan in Melbourne on Sunday, a video of MS Dhoni talking about the world event has gone viral. In the short video, the legendary Indian captain can be seen interacting with fans on stage when the moderator says "So close to the World Cup, if I don't ask you a World Cup question, they are gonna lynch me."
Dhoni came up with a brilliant response that left the fans in splits: "I'm not playing the World Cup... The team has already left," he said.
Watch Video: MS Dhoni's ‘I’m not playing T20 World Cup' comment ahead of Pakistan match goes viral
The former India wicketkeeper-batter, regarded as one of the captains to have played the game, announced his retirement on August 15 2020. Dhoni, since then, has only been playing for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. If reports are to be believed then the talismanic man from Ranchi will lead CSK again in the next year's edition of the IPL, which is slated to return to the home-and-away format after a gap of three years.
{{/usCountry}}The former India wicketkeeper-batter, regarded as one of the captains to have played the game, announced his retirement on August 15 2020. Dhoni, since then, has only been playing for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. If reports are to be believed then the talismanic man from Ranchi will lead CSK again in the next year's edition of the IPL, which is slated to return to the home-and-away format after a gap of three years.
{{/usCountry}}The India team, led by Rohit Sharma, meanwhile will look to end the decade-long wait for an ICC title. The last time India won a World Cup was in 2011 at home under Dhoni's leadership. For the T20 World Cup victory, one will have to go further back in 2007. Their last ICC title was the Champions Trophy in 2013, also under Dhoni.
India start their campaign against Pakistan then they play the Netherlands followed by matches against South Africa and Zimbabwe in the Super 12 stage of the tournament. Top two teams from each group featuring six teams will advance to the semi-final.
In the last edition, India were knocked out of the Super 12 stage after failing to defeat the two big teams - Pakistan and New Zealand - in their group. This time around, they will look to turn the tables.