Former Australian batsman Dean Jones feels that the mercurial MS Dhoni still has a chance for a comeback into the Indian team, if he has a good IPL 2020. The 13th edition of the T20 league will be played in UAE from September 19 onwards.
Dhoni, who leads the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise, has not played any cricket since the 2019 World Cup and was supposed to come back with the IPL, which was originally scheduled to start from March 29 and had to be postponed due to Coronavirus outbreak in the country.
Now with the IPL confirmed to be organized, and the T20 World Cup being postponed to a later date, Dhoni has a chance to make a comeback into the team.
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“At the moment it looks like the Indian selectors are going with Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul. If Dhoni has a wonderful IPL then he's away, but if he doesn't do well in the next IPL then perhaps his door is definitely shut. But, he's left the door open,” Jones told Times of India.
“His break might be fantastic for him. He has had a really good break and if he wants to come back out of this - trust me as you get older it gets more difficult to come back from a break,” Jones added.
Talking about why Dhoni is so important in the Indian team, despite the notion of giving chances to the next generation, Jones highlighted that the team still lacks a proper finisher, a role that Dhoni has perfected and can help in grooming a successor for him.
"He (MS Dhoni) is an absolute superstar. He is a 'great'. So, I have always felt, with the greats, to tend to let them do what they want to do, but at the moment they are leaning towards KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant. But, India' biggest problem is still a finisher. Who is your finisher? Hardik Pandya - yes. Just comes down to your balance - who's hot and who's not." Jones said.
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With the T20 World Cup being postponed, Dhoni might not have a chance to make his international comeback this year, given he has a very good IPL 2020. However, India will play white-ball series in Australia along with the four-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but the final details of the schedule are yet to be released by the two boards which include a 14-day quarantine period for the visiting squad.
However questions remains like will Dhoni make the cut for the limited overs series Down Under once the final schedule is decided? Will he make himself available in the first place? How big an impact will his IPL form have on his selection?
(Times of India inputs)
