Difficult for MS Dhoni to make comeback if IPL doesn’t happen this year: Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir said that it would get difficult for MS Dhoni to make a comeback to the Indian national cricket team if the former captain has no performance to show in over a year.




With the fate of the Indian Premier League yet to be decided, former India opener Gautam Gambhir said that it would get difficult for MS Dhoni to make a comeback to the Indian national cricket team if the former captain has no performance to show in over a year.

Dhoni last played for India in the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in July, 2019. He even went for Chennai Super Kings training camp before the league was postponed to avoid the further spread of coronavirus outbreak.

After Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev said that it was getting increasingly difficult for the Jharkhand cricketer to make an international return, Gambhir joined in the discussion and said in a Star Sports show ‘Cricket Connected’, “If the IPL does not happen this year, then it will become very difficult for MS Dhoni to make a comeback. On what basis can he be selected since he’s not been playing for the last one or one and a half year.”

Picking KL Rahul as Dhoni’s replacement, Gambhir saidd, “Obviously his (Rahul’s) keeping is not as good as Dhoni’s, but if you are looking at T20 cricket, Rahul’s a utility player, can keep and bat at No. 3 or 4. If the IPL does not happen, then Dhoni’s chances for a comeback look dim. Ultimately, you are representing India, so whoever dishes out the best performance and can win the match for India should play for the team.”

“As far as his retirement plans go by, that’s his personal choice,” added Gambhir, whose teammate VVS Laxman argued that Dhoni is going to be featuring in the next few seasons of IPL irrespectively. “Not only this IPL, he (Dhoni) will probably play in the next couple of IPLs, and then we will take a call about his future as a cricketer,” Laxman said on the same show.

“Dhoni will be very clear, as far as his plans are concerned, I’m sure he must have communicated that with (captain) Virat Kohli, (coach) Ravi Shastri immediately after the 2019 World Cup in England,” said Laxman. “The new selection committee will have to sit down with MS Dhoni and understand his future, as far as Indian cricket is concerned. But MS Dhoni will continue to play for CSK and do well for CSK,” said Laxman.

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