Mahendra Singh Dhoni is on a seemingly never-ending sabbatical but his fans cannot seem to let go of him.
In the first ODI against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, stand-in wicketkeeper K.L. Rahul felt the heat after the crowd started chanting 'Dhoni, Dhoni' after the former dropped a catch.
Rahul was filling in for regular keeper Rishabh Pant, who had suffered concussion during India's innings.
Dhoni's reluctance to announce a decision on his retirement or make himself available for selection has put undue pressure on young Pant, be it with his wicketkeeping or DRS calls.
India's humiliating 10-wicket loss to the Aussies, too, did not help matters as 'Dhoni' soon started trending on social media, with fans saying that the result would have been different had he been in the team.
While some fans called for his return as the skipper, others reminded everybody of his finishing skills—which have been on the wane for quite some time now—and his experience of handling crunch situations.
Dhoni has not played since India's semifinal exit in the 2019 ICC World Cup, against New Zealand in July. Recently, Sunil Gavaskar had questioned Dhoni's sabbatical from the game since the World Cup semifinal loss, asking "does anybody keep himself away from playing for India for that long?"
Asked if Dhoni can make India's T20 World Cup squad this year, Gavaskar said, "Fitness is something that I can't tell you anything at all. The question that needs to be asked is of MSD himself. He has not made himself available to play for India since 10th of July (9th actually).
"That is the important question. Does anybody keep himself away from playing for India for that long? That is the question and therein lies the answer," said the former India captain.
In a recent interview, head coach Ravi Shastri said Dhoni may soon end his ODI career but could be in contention for a T20 World Cup berth provided he is in good form.
The 38-year-old is likely to make a comeback with the IPL.
