- Thursday, April 25, 2024
In India’s neighbouring Pakistan, former world cup-winning captain Imran Khan made a successful career in politics after retirement and also went on to become the country’s prime minister.
By: Shubham Ghosh
Noted Indian businessman Anand Mahindra, chairman of the conglomerate Mahindra Group, feels former India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni should consider politics because he is an “obvious future leader”.
The 68-year-old billionaire on Tuesday (30) said in a tweet that the wicket-keeper-batter, who earlier in the day led Chennai Super Kings to their record-equalling fifth Indian Premier League (IPL) title beating Gujarat Titans in the final in Ahmedabad, “needs to consider The political arena” after the 41-year-old said after the match that he was planning to stay around in the IPL for one more year.
Like most people, I was pleased to hear that #MSDhoni might stay on for another year in the #IPL. But I would not hope for longer, since I believe he needs to consider rhe political arena. I worked with him on the NCC review panel chaired by @PandaJay & saw that his intellectual… https://t.co/4uuhWIGFAt
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) May 30, 2023
“Like most people, I was pleased to hear that #MSDhoni might stay on for another year in the IPL. But I would not hope for longer, since I believe he needs to consider The political arena.”
Mahindra, who had worked with Dhoni on a panel for National Cadet Corps two years ago, opined in his tweet that the cricketer’s intellectual agility matches his agility on the sports field.
“I worked with him on the NCC review panel chaired by @PandaJay & saw that his intellectual agility matches his agility on the sportsfield. He was collaborative, humble & yet assertive in making innovative inputs. He is an obvious future leader…,” Mahindra wrote.
The Mahindra chairman tagged Baijayant Jay Panda, former Indian politician and current vice president of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
This is not the first time that people and media in India have speculated Dhoni joining politics. After India lost the semi-final of the 2019 cricket world cup in England which was also Dhoni’s final international game, it was speculated that politics was his next destination once the cricketing journey got over.
Sanjay Paswan, a leader of the BJP and former Indian minister who hails from the state of Bihar, had said then that Dhoni could join the saffron party and a discussion was going on for long about it. He said the final decision would be taken only after Dhoni, who he called his friend, called it quits.
The cricketer bid adieu to international cricket in August the same year but continues to play the IPL.
In August 2018, Indian home minister Amit Shah, who was then the BJP president, met Dhoni as part of the party’s campaign ahead of the 2019 general elections.
In India’s neighbouring Pakistan, former world cup-winning captain Imran Khan made a successful career in politics after retirement and also went on to become the country’s prime minister.
(With agency inputs)
