'Will MS Dhoni Play International Cricket If IPL 2020 Gets Called-Off?': Aakash Chopra Answers

MS Dhoni’s future will depend on his performance in the IPL 2020, Team India head coach Ravi Shastri had clarified. The team management and senior BCCI sources had echoed his statement.

However, with the novel coronavirus bringing life to a standstill and many cricketing events being called off, the commencement of the IPL 2020 is uncertain after it was deferred to April 15 from March 29.

What does the future holds for MS Dhoni?

MS Dhoni started preparation for IPL 2020 early. But commentator and cricket expert Aakash Chopra believes the IPL was never going to be a yardstick for Dhoni and he can still make a comeback to the national team.

“For a player like Dhoni, IPL was never going to be a yardstick. If he had scored runs in the IPL, experts would have been like ‘select Dhoni’, ‘do this and do that’. MS Dhoni knows what he is doing, whether he wants to come back or not,” Aakash Chopra said in a YouTube video.

Moreover, Aakash Chopra feels MS Dhoni will be automatically selected, once he makes himself available due to his experience on the international circuit.

“IPL, I don’t think was a critical factor. If he wants to come back, he will make himself available, if the selectors decide to pick him, he will be picked automatically because you won’t get experience in supermarkets.

“Dhoni is a hugely experienced player. If India needs MS Dhoni, then with or without IPL, he will come back.”

MS Dhoni’s importance in Team India

MS Dhoni stepped down from limited-overs captaincy in 2017. Yet he remained the go-to man for a lot of senior players from the national team due to his ability to read the game and guide the bowlers accordingly from behind the stumps.

But after contributing for the Indian cricket team from the fore, at the age of 38, when his game had clearly lost the touch – MS Dhoni took a timely call for himself – after India’s exit from the World Cup 2019.