In the last league match of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) of the Indian Premier League (IPL), MS Dhoni clarified that he would be playing for the Yellow Army in the IPL 2021. ‘Definitely not,’ Dhoni said during toss time when the presenter asked him if the game against KXIP would be his last in yellow. In the same light, former Indian opener, Sunil Gavaskar has advised MSD to regain his form before playing the next edition of the IPL.
The 13th edition of the IPL wasn’t a fruitful one for CSK and hence, when Dhoni plans to return next year, he should be able to come out all guns blazing in terms of his form and fitness. This is why Gavaskar feels that Dhoni should consider playing domestic cricket to regain the best form. Gavaskar reckons that playing competitive cricket would help MS regain his form in the best possible manner.
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During a recent chat on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “Being in the nets is fine, but unless he plays competitive cricket, particularly because he is at an age where the reflexes slow down. What do you tend to lose as you get older is your timing. Everything might look good. You look at yourself in the mirror. Nothing has changed. You might actually lose a little bit of weight.”
He further added, “You might go to the gym to get stronger and fitter. But your timing changes, the timing in the sense, you think your foot is going towards the ball, but it’s just that much short for you getting a good drive or the ball going in the air.”
Under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, CSK failed to reach the playoffs in berth for the first time in IPL 2020 since the inaugural season. The 39-year-old Dhoni failed to live up to massive expectations. His form with the bat came under a lot of criticism. MS, earlier, stated clearly, that they would return in the next season with some planning and change in their core group.
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Gavaskar also elaborated, “But the more he plays competitive cricket, actually matches… in the nets, there will be no pressure, match brings pressure. If he does that, I think he will be good to score 400 runs next year as well.”
