Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra recently took a sly dig at Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni over his poor form with the bat. While the Super Kings have performed well as a unit, Dhoni’s below-par outings as a batsman has grabbed a lot of attention.
Speaking on a video shared by Aakash Chopra, the cricketer-turned-commentator also said that CSK’s backing of MS Dhoni is not by force but by choice. Chopra argued that without the former India skipper , CSK would neither have made a comeback from the two-year ban by winning the trophy in 2018, nor would they have reached the top of the table in the ongoing season.
“He’s currently only playing like a captain and wicketkeeper because either he bats so down the order or not at all. Sometimes when he gets to bat, he isn’t able to do much. So the truth is that CSK is playing with 10 players and he’s there as a captain. But this is another interesting bit about Dhoni – this team can only be run by him,” Aakash Chopra said.
“CSK’s turnaround, the comeback and the transformation to the “Champion Super Kings” is only because MS Dhoni’s captaincy. If he had not been there this environment would not have been created. So when the big auction arrives, maybe you want MS Dhoni on your side to make and run his team before moving forward to the future,” he added.
Should India look beyond SKY for the T20 World Cup based on his current form? Will Chennai retain Dhoni for next year? That and much more on today's episode of 'TVS Eurogrip #AskAakash'.https://t.co/WaFfbqIL96 pic.twitter.com/ymzH2sptWM
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) September 30, 2021
MS Dhoni has only managed only 52 runs from 10 matches at a paltry average of 10.40.
MS Dhoni might become a mentor later on – Aakash Chopra
🎥 The Rising challenge and the week ahead!
Pre Match vibe at the camp ahead of the clash against SRH!#SRHvCSK #WhistlePodu #Yellove 🦁💛 @PhonePe_ pic.twitter.com/El9XM458CK— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) September 30, 2021
As we continue to dwell over MS Dhoni’s retirement, Aakash Chopra believes MS Dhoni might play a year more and then take up a mentor role just like he did with Team India for the ICC T20 World Cup.
“If you look at it on the basis of form, his age, and the mega auction for a three-year term, they should not logically retain him. But Dhoni-CSK is not logical, it’s emotional. When you make an emotional investment, you see your kid as the most beautiful, the most talented human and that’s the kind of relationship they have. I believe he’ll stay for another year and try and run the team because there are only six months between this IPL and the next. He’ll stay there like a captain for now and then probably become a mentor later, Mentor Singh Dhoni,” Aakash Chopra added.
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