Sanjay Manjrekar, the former India batsman-turned-commentator, is backing Mahendra Singh Dhoni to be absolutely fit and fine for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in UAE despite nearly a year away from on-field action. 

Manjrekar believes the conditions in the Middle East will be just ripe for Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to once again do the unexpected and go the distance in the tournament, beginning September 19. 

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Explaining how Dhoni assesses his fitness, he recalled a conversation had with the great wicketkeeper batsman during the wedding of India captain Virat Kohli. 

"During Virat Kohli’s wedding, I had a little corner time with him and he said that as long as I am beating the fastest sprinter in the team, I am going to consider myself fit enough to be playing international cricket or playing high-level cricket," said Manjrekar on Star Sports' 'Cricket Connected' show.

"So, as a batter, with MS Dhoni in the IPL, I don’t see much difference. In fact, the conditions that we have, I keep saying, is just perfect for Dhoni, where’s it’s going to be about the mind and not just power hitting."

Dhoni hasn't played any form of competitive cricket since the last year's 50-over World Cup semi-final against New Zealand. His break was only extended by the COVID-19 pandemic bringing the entire sporting world to an abrupt halt. 

One thing to be noted, though, is that periods of inactivity in terms of playing have been frequent for Dhoni anyway since his Test retirement in December 2014. 

And while that has reflected in his diminishing returns at the international level, Dhoni has been able to remain a force with the bat and gloves for CSK in the IPL. 

"I think he is going to be very good and one of the reasons that he is so successful and so consistent in the IPL as a batsman as opposed to international is that he knows that there are about four to five bowlers to handle. And there are some good ones and there are some not so good ones in the IPL," Manjrekar explained. 

"In international(s), you have got five quality bowlers, so he’s so good at picking out those guys and going after them. And people with Tendulkar, Dhoni, these are champion cricketers. Once they are on the public stage, you will never see Dhoni ever on a public stage, like a cricket field, looking slightly unfit or unable to sprint or run," he concluded.