There is not even a single cricket fanatic who doesn’t talk about MS Dhoni’s future in international cricket. While many believe they had seen the last of Dhoni in Indian colours when he walked back to the dressing room during the 2019 World Cup semi-final clash against New Zealand, the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman has been on a sabbatical since then.
During Dhoni’s away from competitive cricket, his popularity has only increased further as ardent cricket fans, and experts of the game are eager to know the next step of the former Indian skipper.
Ahead of 13th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), where ‘Captain Cool’ will once again be leading the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), former cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has revealed what Dhoni had told him regarding his international future during Virat Kohli’s wedding.
“During Virat Kohli’s wedding, I had a little corner time with him and he said that as long as I am beating the fastest sprinter in the team, I am going to consider myself fit enough to be playing international cricket or playing high-level cricket,” Manjrekar said on the ‘Cricket Connected Show’ for Star Sports,
The Mumbaikar further predicted how Dhoni would perform in the upcoming IPL edition, which is set to take place in the UAE this year.
“I think he is going to be very good and one of the reasons that he is so successful and so consistent in the IPL as a batsman as opposed to international is that he knows that there are about four to five bowlers to handle. And there are some good ones and there are some not so good ones in the IPL. In international, you have got five quality bowlers, so he’s so good at picking out those guys and going after them. And people with Tendulkar, Dhoni, these are champion cricketers. Once they are on the public stage, you will never see Dhoni ever on a public stage, like a cricket field, looking slightly unfit or unable to sprint or run,” Manjrekar added.
"The conditions (in UAE) are going to be perfect for MS Dhoni" – @sanjaymanjrekar
What's your opinion? Join the former #TeamIndia batsman in conversation with @jatinsapru & @BrettLee_58, tonight on #CricketConnected!#IPL2020 #IPL pic.twitter.com/SVUSkdpdrk
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) August 8, 2020
Dhoni, who has led the CSK to three IPL titles, has played 190 games in the cash-rich T20 tournament, scoring 4,432 runs at an average of 42.20, with the help of 23 half-centuries.
