'Captain' MS Dhoni's Last Hurrah as India A Take on England

Having already stepped down as captain of the India ODI and T20I teams, MS Dhoni will lead out an Indian team for one last time when he captains India A in the first warm-up match against England in Mumbai on Tuesday, January 10.

The other star name who will feature in the game is Yuvraj Singh, who is expected to be a key part of Virat Kohli's plans for the ICC Champions Trophy this year.

Veteran pace bowler Ashish Nehra will also aim to get his sharpness back after returning from a surgery, ahead of a gruelling season.

Shikhar Dhawan, on the other hand, will get some much-needed practice, having recovred from the thumb fracture he suffered last year.

But cynosure of all eyes will certainly be on Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Not always does a warm-up game become an emotional affair and Dhoni is the last person to show any emotions but it does become special when Virat Kohli says that the first thing that comes to mind when one mentions MS Dhoni is 'captain'.

So it will be an occasion to remember when Dhoni leads some of the senior team boys for a much-needed game time against Eoin Morgan's England, a side that has been better in shorter formats over the years.

For Dhoni, the match will give a chance for some real time simulations as he has not played any competitive cricket for more than 70 days since the New Zealand series that ended in October.

While he has trained regularly, done his nets and travelled at some places with the Jharkhand Ranji team, nothing can replace serious match time, which will help him get some serious knocking before the first ODI starts in Pune on January 15.

(With inputs from PTI)