Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has on Thursday (September 17) issued a warning to all bowling attacks in the Indian Premier League (IPL) to be careful of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni in the upcoming 13th edition of the tournament in the UAE.
Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket in August 2020 and has not played a competitive match for more than a year since the 2019 World Cup semi-final in England.
Well, Dhoni’s appearances for CSK in the upcoming IPL 2020 would be extra special for everyone especially his fans, and the 35-year-old reckoned that the fans might get to see the legendary cricketer’s dangerous form when he used to play freely before becoming the captain, in the IPL 13.
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The wicketkeeper-batsman is one of the most successful IPL captains, having guided the CSK to three titles apart from producing some bludgeoning batting performances to secure victories for the team.
Well, ahead of the CSK’s opening IPL 2020 game against Mumbai Indians on 19th September in the UAE, Pathan reckoned that Dhoni will bat with the utmost freedom and will be as dangerous as he was in his early cricketing days.
Pathan told Times of India: “All the bowlers please watch out! Be careful when you are bowling against Mahendra Singh Dhoni. We might see the Dhoni that we saw before he became the (India) captain. Before he became the captain, he didn't have that extra responsibility, so he used to play freely.”
He further added, “As I say in Hindi, “Woh bebaak hoke khelega” (he will play uninhibitedly). If that happens, the bowlers will lose control. So it's very difficult for bowlers to get going against Dhoni.”
The former CSK all-rounder also claimed Dhoni will be the player to watch out for in IPL 2020, saying his former India teammate and former captain will be back to his fiery best in the upcoming tournament.
Pathan signed off by saying, “Don't look at his age, don't look at the fact that he hasn't played cricket for so long. Don't look at all those things. He will be the player to watch out for this season and I am pretty certain as well that we might see Dhoni bludgeoning the bowlers and playing freely, the way he used to before he became the captain. I totally expect that.”
