The retirement speculation of the former India skipper MS Dhoni has been the talk of the town for quite some time now. He has been on a sabbatical since India’s lost to New Zealand in the rain-marred semifinal of the ICC World Cup 2019 in England. While many believe that MS Dhoni will not return again, Kamran Akmal feels he is still India’s No.1 choice for the T20 World Cup.
Incidentally, the legendary wicket-keeper batsman copped severe criticisms for his below-par performances throughout the tournament. His poor outing with the bat also took a toll on his confidence which in turn affected in wicket-keeping. MS Dhoni was mulling a return during the Indian Premier League (IPL) and had already started his training at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
MS Dhoni is the first choice: Kamran Akmal
However, with IPL postponed for an indefinite period due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, his comeback to international cricket looks gloomy. But Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal believes MS Dhoni is still the best choice India have in their ranks. Furthermore, he dumped Rishabh Pant to pick KL Rahul as the second-best wicket-keeping option.
“@kamiAkmal23 Who do you think should be India’s wicketkeeper for T20 World Cup 2020?”, was the question.
“i think it should be MS Dhoni & 2nd option KL Rahul,” Kamran Akmal replied.
i think it should be MS Dhoni & 2nd option KL Rahul
— Kamran Akmal (@KamiAkmal23) June 12, 2020
Meanwhile, looking at the current situation, if ICC postpones the T20 World Cup, then things look bleak for MS Dhoni. On the other hand, if the mega event goes as per schedule, the legendary cricketer needs enough game time to make his way back. Dhoni has not played cricket for almost a year now.
Will BCCI able to provide the number of matches for MS Dhoni to return to his best is the big question now. With no signs of improvement on the COVID-19 outbreak, BCCI has pushed resuming normal training until August.
