Jharkhand delighted to have MS Dhoni back after 8 years

MS Dhoni in 2004 and 2015

MS Dhoni will be turning out for his home state Jharkhand when the domestic one day and T20 season begins in December 2015 after after a gap of eight years, and the Jharkhand cricket board has expressed delight at having their star player back from India duties, report PTI.

Confirming that Dhoni has communicated to them that he would play for Jharkhand if the India-Pakistan series does not happen in December, a likely possibility at this stage, Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) secretary Rajesh Verma said that details of his involvement have not been discussed, but that Dhoni would be given a free hand.

He said, "We have spoken to Dhoni and he has said that in all likelihood he will be available (if there's no Pakistan series) to play for Jharkhand in Vijay Hazare Trophy. We have not discussed as to how many matches he will play or whether he would like to lead the side. But if he wants obviously, he will lead the side.”

"His presence obviously will be a great boost for the boys. Whenever Dhoni has got an opportunity, he has had encouraging words for the boys. Only day before I saw him training at the main stadium alone.

“Right now the senior team is in Tripura for Ranji Trophy," Verma said.

Dhoni’s last List A innings for Jharkhand was on January 18, 2005 against Assam, and his last appearance for them was in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2007, after India team’s inglorious ouster from the World Cup.

The reason for this has always been pinned to the massive workload that comes with being India’s captain, wicketkeeper and a premier batsman, apart from leading Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, for a whole decade.

A decade and several laurels – two World Cups included – later, the Jharkhand lad who took India to the pinnacle of world cricket, is returning to his roots.

Dhoni’s participation in domestic cricket

What has changed now is that Dhoni has a lot of free time on his hands, with his retirement from the Test format – the time between October 25, when India played its last ODI of the South Africa series, and January 12 when India plays the first of its five ODIs against Australia in Perth.

He will not take part in the 4-day Ranji Trophy tournament, because he does not want to deny an youngster a place in the side. However, since he is still preparing to lead India at the World T20 in 2016, some practice in the domestic tournament will do him a world of good. His presence will also do wonders for the publicity of the domestic cricket in the country.

According to the schedule, Dhoni's first game will be a Vijay Hazare Trophy group match against J&K at Bangalore on December 10.

This will be followed by games against Gujarat, Kerala, Haryana, Karnataka and Railways. In the Mushtaq Ali, he will get a chance to play against Punjab and J&K before the Indian team leaves for Australia.