The Indian Premier League this year was, probably, the most anticipated one for the fans of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. After being away from the game for almost an year, the wicketkeeper-batsman was to make a comeback, as captain of Chennai Super Kings.
But, the wait has been extended as the IPL 2020 has been postponed till April 15 because of the coronavirus pandemic. There is no final word yet on whether the tournament will start from the new date, too.
The IPL was to be the last chance for Dhoni, who had been on a self-imposed exile post India's semifinal exit at the ODI World Cup last year, to stake claim for a place in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.
While Team India coach Ravi Shastri had said that Dhoni will be back in the reckoning if he performs well in the IPL this year, several former players like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Virender Sehwag have said that it will be difficult for the former India skipper to make a comeback to the Indian team.
Gavaskar is one player who has been vocal about Dhoni's unexplained absence from the game and his impending retirement. On Friday, the 'Little Master' once again asserted that Dhoni's chances of a comeback are “highly unlikely”.
"I would certainly like to see Dhoni in India’s World Cup squad but it’s highly unlikely to happen,” Gavaskar told Dainik Jagran. “The team has moved on. Dhoni is not someone to make big announcements. So, I reckon he would silently retire from the game."
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Sehwag had, earlier, said that with the two young wicketkeeper-batsmen, Rishabh Pant and K.L. Rahul in the team, India should stick with them, especially considering the form the latter is in.
However, the veteran had found support from recently-retired Mumbai batsman Wasim Jaffer, who said Team India cannot afford to look beyond Dhoni if he is fit and in form. “If Dhoni is fit and in form I think we can't look beyond him as he'll be an asset behind the stumps and also lower down the order. It'll take the pressure of keeping off Rahul and India can play Pant as a batsman too if they want a lefty,” Jaffer tweeted.
Dhoni had been training in his hometown Ranchi in the lead-up to the IPL. He had also joined the CSK training camp, before the tournament was postponed.
