MS Dhoni returned to Ranchi two weeks ago after Chennai Super Kings (CSK) called off their training sessions in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak, which has claimed more than 33,000 lives and infected over 723,000 people globally thus far.
With the growing COVID-19 cases in the country, the Indian government on March 24 imposed a nationwide 21-day lockdown and now the cancellation of IPL 2020, rescheduled to begin on April 15, looks inevitable.
If IPL 13 gets called off completely, the veteran wicketkeeper might find it hard to make a return to the Indian team. But as per his former India and CSK teammate Lakshmipathy Balaji, Dhoni is someone who doesn't look too much into the future and likes taking things one moment at a time.
See More: “Dhoni’s India ambitions might be over”, reckons Harsha Bhogle
Speaking to India Today, Balaji also threw light on Dhoni’s training session with CSK earlier this month.
"MS Dhoni was looking good, fit. He focussed on training just like he always does and was as normal as he has always been. He trained like the way he did last year or 2 years ago. There is nothing that changes when it comes to his preparation. His routine, his mindset, everything is the same," Balaji said.
"Dhoni was focussed on getting ready for the IPL. He is that kind of a person who always takes it one moment at a time."
M Dhoni is out of action from competitive cricket for almost 9 months now. The 38-year-old has last played for India in the World Cup 2019 semi-final against New Zealand and he was looking to ply his trade in the cash-rich event to claim a place in country’s T20 World Cup squad.
After taking to the nets at Ranchi, Dhoni landed in Chennai in the first week of March and trained extensively with a few of his CSK teammates, including Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu.
"We had 2 wonderful camps. We had a conditioning camp in February. And another in March where close to 10 players were there. We did good work, focussed on fitness drills, specific techniques. We ticked all the boxes.
"The players were looking forward to the season. We had a very good camp but unfortunately it had to be paused or halted. It was necessary to do this," Balaji said.
