It has been over 10 months since MS 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, Dhoni was set to lead Chennai Super Kings (CSK) during the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) but the COVID-19 outbreak forced the BCCI to suspend the cash-rich event indefinitely last month.
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Amid the speculations on his cricket future, former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad on Thursday (May 14) said Dhoni will now find it hard to break into the Indian set up.
“It's very tough for him to really break into the team. It's tough for him now again to make a comeback because he's not played cricket for almost a year. It's not going to be easy for him,” Prasad told Timesofindia.com in an exclusive interview.
The veteran wicketkeeper had begun training in the lead up to the IPL 2020, which was initially scheduled to start on March 29. 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.
“There is no doubt he is very fit but then your reflexes tend to come down as you grow old. He is nearing 40. So, it's not going to be easy for him. I would also leave it to the team management. If he shows good fitness and also if team management comes up with some strategy,” Prasad added.
Earlier, India head coach Ravi Shastri had said that the door would be kept open for Dhoni, especially if he is to enjoy yet another terrific season of IPL with CSK.
As per Prasad, Dhoni should be pushed up the order in the batting line up if the team management decides to have him in the squad.
“Instead of treating Dhoni as a finisher, I will play him up the order. I would probably ask him to bat at number 3 or 4. Or, if I have only 10 overs left, I will tell Dhoni go and just play his game the way he plays as a finisher,” he said.
