Dhoni last played for India at the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand.
It has been over 10 months since Dhoni last played any form of competitive cricket. The World Cup 2019 semi-final against New Zealand at Old Trafford was his last appearance in Team India colours.
In a bid to stake claim for a place in the national squad for T20 World Cup, the veteran wicketkeeper was set to lead Chennai Super Kings (CSK) during the 13th edition of Indian Premier League but the Coronavirus outbreak forced the BCCI to postpone the cash-rich event until further notice.
"People think that there is a gap and had he played in the IPL it would have been easier for him to make a comeback. But I don't think so. Dhoni is such a big player, he is a proper match-winner who knows how to play under pressure at number 6 and 7 and he is absolutely fit. So in my mind Dhoni is the number one player,” Kaif, who played 13 Tests and 125 ODIs for India, told TimesofIndia.com.
“No matter how many players come, you cannot replace Mahendra Singh Dhoni, because I think that if you remove someone, then another player should be ready. And he scored runs in that World Cup match against New Zealand and had a good partnership with Jadeja. He played well in that match and almost won us the game," he added.
Rishabh was widely seen as Dhoni's successor until KL Rahul emerged as a reliable wicketkeeper batsman in white-ball cricket. But as per Kaif, India still does not have a replacement for the former captain.
"There has been no replacement. So many players have been tried in place of Dhoni. I don't think KL Rahul is a long-term option. He should always be the back-up wicket-keeper, if a keeper gets injured then Rahul should keep wickets. So you have to groom another keeper. Even Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson haven't been able to take the place of Dhoni. When you talk of Sachin, Dravid, you have had replacements like Kohli, Rohit, Rahane, Pujara. They have filled that void. But it hasn't been the case with Dhoni. So I think Dhoni is still the number one wicket-keeper. He is amazingly fit and he should not be sidelined in a hurry," he stated.
Kaif also spoke about his first impression of Dhoni when he played against the Jharkhand dasher in Deodhar Trophy.
"I first saw Dhoni playing when I was the captain of the Central Zone in the Deodhar Trophy and he was playing for the East Zone, about two years before his international debut. We had made about 360 and he came at the number 3 spot to bat. We thought of attacking him, but he made 80-85 runs in the match off just 40-50 balls. So I had realized that time he (Dhoni) has that X-factor and a unique playing style and a great understanding of the game."
"But before that, I had first heard about Dhoni from a friend who had seen him playing on TV, playing for India A, doing wicket-keeping with goggles on, has long hair and has that X-factor. Then soon, I got the chance of playing with him," he said.