Former Team India selector Sarandeep Singh revealed that MS Dhoni would have definitely played in the ICC T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia, had the COVID-19 pandemic not interrupted the world cricket and led to the postponement of the tournament to 2021.
MS Dhoni’s last appearance in international cricket was the fatal run-out in the ICC World Cup 2019 semifinal against New Zealand.
After that MS Dhoni didn’t appear in any of the matches for Team India as the veteran wicket-keeper batsman took a sabbatical from cricket after the 2019 ODI World Cup.
However, many had hoped for a rousing comeback from the wicketkeeper-batsman in the T20 World Cup in Australia, but it wasn't meant to be as Dhoni shocked one and all and announced his retirement from International cricket via an Instagram post.
While reflecting on MS Dhoni’s selection in the T20 World Cup former Indian selector Sarandeep Singh said that the whole selection committee believed that MS Dhoni should have played the T20 World cup and added that there was not a reason for him to not play.
"Definitely, he would have played (had COVID-19 not interrupted). We were also thinking that he should have definitely played the World T20. He was fit. There was no reason for him to not play,” Sarandeep Singh told Sportskeeda.
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Singh said that MS Dhoni was the fittest in the Team India and never missed a game due to injury because of which he got so much respect from everyone.
"We always see the fitness of the players first to see how long they can play. And Mahi was the fittest. He never took a break from practice. Even in optional practice, Mahi was there. And you see it never happened that he missed a game because of injury. That's why he got so much respect from everyone,” he said.
Singh further said after Dhoni’s influential and inspirational career he deserved the chance to end his journey on a high.
"We always felt that a player who played so much for India and won so many trophies - there's not a single trophy he hasn't won - deserved that chance. It was my personal opinion and opinion of everyone in the selection committee that MS Dhoni should have played the World T20," Singh concluded.
MS Dhoni remains the only captain to win every ICC trophy- T20 World Cup in 2007, World Cup in 2011, and Champions Trophy in 2013.
(SportsKeeda Inputs)
