Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been the highest individual tax-payer in Jharkhand for the financial year of 2017-18, said an income tax official on Monday.
Dhoni paid Rs 12.17 crore for the last fiscal year.
“Dhoni had paid Rs 10.93 crore as income tax in 2016-17 but he was not the highest taxpayer in that fiscal,” said chief commissioner of Income Tax, Jharkhand region, V Mahalingam.
However, he has refrained from disclosing the name of highest individual tax payer in 2016-17.
Dhoni, who is currently contracted in the Grade A category by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), earns Rs 5 crore from his central contract. He endorses 23 brands and remains one of the most sought after players despite playing only limited-overs cricket for India and the Indian Premier League.
However, after Dhoni’s recent form, questions have been raised regarding his future in limited-overs cricket. Under pressure, he has remained unperturbed, calm and composed. He has never allowed his players to abuse the opposition and is unfazed by criticism on his recent performances. In fact, for the first time in his illustrious career, Dhoni was booed during India’s second ODI against England at Lord’s. He played another slow innings in the third ODI against England as India lost the series 2-1.
Following that, a video of MS Dhoni surfaced on social media, where he was seen asking for the match ball from umpires and that send social media abuzz about him retiring from international cricket. However, Team India coach Ravi Shastri came out and cleared the air, saying that MS Dhoni is going nowhere.
“MS wanted to show the ball to Bharat Arun. He wanted to show him the wear and tear the ball had endured, to get a general idea of what the conditions were like,” Shastri was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
“That’s rubbish. MS is not going anywhere,” Shastri said.
However, as India embark on a month-and-a-half long Test journey in England, where Virat Kohli’s men play five Tests, Dhoni will have time to reflect on his game and work on it before India play limited-overs cricket again in the Asia Cup, which is likely to be played in September.
