Gautam Gambhir, a former cricketer who has played all the formats of the game and currently is a member of Lok Sabha says that MS Dhoni’s chances pof returning into Indian team are ‘shrinked’ if IPL 2020 is cancelled this year due to COVID-19. As pandemic is still around-the-clock, with each passing day the chances of tournament getting cancelled are multiplied. This was supposed to be the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League, and Dhoni was keeping a beady eye on it so as to return to competitive cricket with his Chennai Super Kings side.
Gambhir recently was on a chat show ‘cricket connected’ where he said that Dhoni’s chances of comeback becomes difficult if IPL gets suspended. This statement of Gambhir are making headlines.
Dhoni had been missing the zest of competitive game since World Cup 2019, so how can you come up with someone who has been missing from the action for a year. He said that it would be fair enough to continue with someone like KL Rahul, he has recently showed his dual role of a wicketkeeper and a batsman. “If the IPL doesn’t happen this year, then it’ll become very difficult for MS Dhoni to form 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,”Gambhir said. We represent India so whosoever shows the simplest performance, wins. So if would have given a chance he would have never chosen him (Dhoni).
Legends of this field such as Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev have already said that making an international return after this one year gap would be difficult.
“As far as his (Dhoni’s) retirement plans go by, that’s his personal choice.”
Meanwhile, Dhoni’s chances of being picked in India’s T20 World Cup squad are going to be “very, very bleak” if the 13th IPL doesn’t happen , former chairman of selectors Kris Srikkanth said on Saturday without niminy piminy.
“Not only this IPL, he (Dhoni) will probably play within the next few IPLs, then we’ll take a call about his future as a cricketer,” Laxman said on the same show.
Many legends of cricket has their opinion on Dhoni’s fate, some said that dhoni has much morfe to do and no one can replace him but at the same time some believe that he has no place in nationals and he’s time is out. Only Dhoni himself can put a full stop to many questions arising in this complicated situation.
Hussain, one amongst the many respectable names in cricket said “ if Dhoni is gone, there is no way he gets back here, so he shouldn’t be pushed into retirement”
Gambhir further added, “The apt replacement for Dhoni might be KL Rahul. Ever since he has donned the ’keeper’s gloves in white-ball cricket, I’ve seen his performance, both batting and ’keeping. Obviously, his keeping isn’t nearly as good as Dhoni’s, but if you’re watching T20 cricket, Rahul’s a utility player, can keep and bat at No. 3 or 4,”
