There had been a lot of happenings with the India National Cricket Team since the World Cup 2019. The team lost against New Zealand at the semi-final match, but so far the team is moving forward, playing in the field with a goal to bring honor to their nation. Today, they departed to the United States to begin their West Indies tour. But, let’s go back on the events that happened in the team within these past weeks.
1. MS Dhoni’s retirement rumors
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the greatest cricketers who broke a lot of records and led the team to the top. During the ICC Cricket World Cup, he was criticized for his poor performance in the field. Dhoni’s innings failed to win the match against the Kiwis. Some Indian cricket fans were baffled and expressed their disappointment through social media. Dhoni’s supporters defended him, including his teammate Virat Kohli.
Following these events, the rumors of MS Dhoni’s retirement became a trending topic among fans. The wicket-keeper batsman never spoke about the rumors until the squad for the West Indies tour was announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. He was not included in the list which led to the speculations that his retirement is official. The following day, chief selector MSK Prasad spoke to Dhoni, the latter said that he will retire. MS Dhoni will take a two-month break and serve his paramilitary regiment.
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2. Squad for the West Indies
The BCCI announced the squads for Tests, ODIs, and T20Is that will be played on the West Indies tour. Virat Kohli is the team captain, Rohit Sharma is the vice-captain for the ODI and T20I while Ajinkya Rahane is for the Tests. There are some players who are absent due to injuries sustained at the World Cup 2019. New faces introduced such as Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rahul Chahar, Navdeep Saini and Krunal Pandya who have been playing for India A. The young wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant will fill in MS Dhoni’s position.
The BCCI is giving opportunities to the youngsters but there are some who are not given the chance such as Shubman Gill, who is a part of India A squad. He is a talented opener who’s making an impressive number of runs. Gill expressed his disappointment but he is looking forward that he can play for international cricket at the right time.
3. Byju – the team’s new sponsor
The Indian Cricket Team and Oppo parted ways as the smartphone brand ended their sponsorship on the national team. Starting from September 2019, the jersey will feature its new sponsor, Byju. It is a leading learning app founded by Byju Raveendran. The BCCI and Byju share the same vision for the team as cricket inspires people across India.
Meanwhile, Oppo is now on its sixth year and will continue its growth in the Indian market. They have accelerated their efforts in production and retail in order to meet Indian consumers’ satisfaction.
4. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s ‘rift’
It is one of the hottest issues that began since the Indian cricket team’s exit from the World Cup. Since the team’s campaign failed, there had been speculations that the BCCI will consider split captaincy on the team for the West Indies tour. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma didn’t speak about these issues. The BCCI and CoA dismissed the rumors until the squads for the tour is released.
A recent social media activity by Rohit added fuel to the issue. He unfollowed Kohli’s wife Anushka Sharma on Instagram. The team captain’s wife posted an Instagram story that somehow refers to Rohit. During the pre-departure press conference last Monday, Kohli slammed the rumors and expressed his disappointment. In the end, he wished that people will focus on bringing Indian cricket at the top and stop creating issues about them. The Men in Blue is doing good and there’s nothing for their fans to worry about. They’re now all set for the West Indies tour that scheduled this August of 2019. Despite the issues, they will keep on moving forward to represent their home country.
