MS Dhoni may have left the captaincy of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), but he continues to be their leader. Dhoni may have nothing left to prove, but fans want him to continue playing. In the last IPL season, the star wicketkeeper often came to bat at No. 8 for CSK. Some felt excited to watch him still show his power-hitting ability, while others felt he should often promote himself up the order.
Why MS Dhoni disappointed fans for Dube & Jadeja
Most thought his fitness, specifically his knee, was forcing him to bat down the order. Also, his keeping skills seemed to have regressed slightly with age and a long knee issue. It all made sense that he’d let others bat ahead of him. But, it turns out, Dhoni did want to come and start whacking at earlier stages of the match. However, he felt other players in the squad, namely, Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube, were fighting to make it India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad and needed more time to showcase what they can do with the willow in their hand.
In Dhoni’s own words, there was nothing in it for him. He wasn’t waiting for a selector or to represent India at the highest stage; he was happy with what he perceived was best for those players and for CSK. Talk about a team man!
“My thinking was simple, if others are doing their job well why do I need to come up the order. If you’re talking about last year specifically, the T20 World Cup squad was going to be announced soon. So we have to give people who are fighting for a spot a chance. In our team (CSK) we had a few, Jadeja was there, Shivam Dube was there so you give them an opportunity to prove themselves to get into the Indian team. There was nothing in it for me, no selection and other things. So I’m good behind (playing down the order) and my team was happy with what I was doing,” Dhoni said at a promotional event.
Dhoni ‘confirms’ IPL 2025 participation
At the same event, Dhoni said he wants to enjoy the ‘last few years’ of cricket he has in him. That’s as good as the confirmation one can get from Indian legend. Even CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan hasn’t been sure about his participation and stated a few times that Dhoni would inform the franchise. It looks like Captain Cool has not only revealed his decision to fans but also his franchise.
“I just want to enjoy whatever last few years of cricket I am able to play. When you play cricket like a professional sport, it becomes difficult to enjoy it just like a game. That’s what I want to do. It’s not easy. The emotions keep coming, the commitments are there. I want to enjoy the game for the next few years,” Dhoni added.
