A lot of speculations and a lot of questions still remains unanswered on former India skipper MS Dhoni. After a gap of more than one year, he will return to the field where he belongs during IPL 2020. Many believe a great IPL 2020 can change the scheme of things for Dhoni but Ashish Nehra feels a tournament cannot be selection criteria for the legendary cricketer.
Meanwhile, the legendary cricketer has been out of action since India’s semifinal game in the World Cup. He chose to take a sabbatical and since then, he has not appeared for the Men in Blues. Subsequently, BCCI also left Dhoni out of their central contracts for the first time in over a decade.
IPL can’t be the selection criteria for Dhoni – Ashish Nehra
Although MS Dhoni returned to training in March to gear up for IPL 2020. But with the spiking cases of COVID-19, the government had to announce a complete lockdown. Subsequently, BCCI also had to postpone the IPL and the 39-year–old cricketer went back to his home town in Ranchi.
A perception has been going around that the upcoming IPL will give MS Dhoni a perspective on his career. However, Ashish Nehra doesn’t believe so. He feels a tournament cannot change anything for a cricketer of Dhoni’s stature.
“For me, MS Dhoni’s game never came down,” Nehra said on Star Sports’ show ‘Cricket Connected’.
“He knows how to run the team, he knows how to push youngsters forward and all these things I don’t need to repeat again and again but I don’t think this IPL makes any difference in MS Dhoni’s stature or his aura as a player. I don’t think a tournament like the IPL should be MS Dhoni’s selection criteria, it’s probably just a talking point,” he added.
Meanwhile, reports suggest that Chennai Super Kings will resume training earlier than other franchises. The cricketers are likely to meet in Chennai in the first week of August before flying off to UAE via a charter plane.