'Don't push Dhoni into retirement too early', says Nasser Hussain
Former England captain Nasser Hussain believes there is a lot of cricket left in Mahendra Singh Dhoni. During a discussion on Star Sports' upcoming show 'Cricket Connected', Hussain stated that the 38-year-old wicket-keeper could still prove his mettle at the international stage. He also feels people should not force him into retirement as Dhoni is "once-in-a-generation" cricketer. Here is more.
"Once Dhoni is gone, there is no getting him back. There are some legends of the game, appreciating while around, because they are once-in-a-generation cricketer. Don't push him into retirement. Only Dhoni knows his mental state. Eventually, the selectors select and players turn," Hussain said.
Dhoni has been away from competitive cricket since India's semi-final exit from the ICC World Cup 2019. The World Cup-winning captain, who completed his two-week stint in the Indian army as a part of his prolonged hiatus, later made himself unavailable for several bilateral limited-overs series. He was also axed from the list of centrally contracted players, earlier this year.
While Dhoni was touted to make a return to IPL in grand fashion, the upcoming season is on the brink of getting called-off. The former Indian captain was involved in a number of training sessions last month for his franchise Chennai Super Kings. IPL would have served as a catalyst for Dhoni in order to aim for the T20 World Cup.
According to Hussain, Dhoni could still bolster the Indian squad in limited-overs cricket. "Is MS Dhoni still good enough to get in the Indian side? It is as simple as that. That should apply for anyone across the board," he said. What I have seen of Dhoni, I still think he has a huge amount to offer for Indian cricket," he added.
Dhoni's childhood coach Keshav Banarjee is confident that he will bid adieu to international cricket only after the playing T20 World Cup. As per him, Dhoni will make it to the Indian squad even if the IPL gets suspended this season.
