The veteran Indian all-rounder, Suresh Raina believes that MS Dhoni can still become an asset for the Indain team but that it is up to team management whether or not they want to recall him. He also said that he hasn’t given up hope for getting recalled to the Indian team.

Talking to Times of India, Raina said, “Dhoni will probably be coming to Chennai in the first week of March to train ahead of the IPL. If he wants to leave the game, he will go without making a big fuss. He is looking fit and has been training hard. I still think the Indian team needs him. But it is Virat’s call on how they go forward.”

Raina, who has played 226 ODIs and 78 T20Is for India is coming back from second knee surgery and he reckons that a good IPL could bring him back into contention for the T20 World Cup.

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The veteran all-rounder further added, “It is too early right now (to talk about a comeback). If I am able to do well in the IPL, I will be able to understand how I am shaping up. I have played enough to know what the situation demands. So my T20 World Cup hopes depend on my performance in the IPL. If I can make my knee strong and have a good IPL, then I know that I have another 2-3 years of cricket left in me.”

One of the reasons Raina can be a huge prospect for Team India is because India’s middle-order remains a weak point, despite Shreyas Iyer being a solid option at number 4 and the southpaw can be one of teh best fits possible. However, he believes that team management needs to show patience with the batsmen they have and that will help them in the long run.

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Describing the same, Raina said, “The support of the captain and team management will definitely solve this middle-order drama. You can’t expect (Shreyas) Iyer and (Rishabh) Pant to score big runs in every game. You have to give them the assurance that they will not be dropped. Iyer is very good at No. 4. It is important to have that variety in the batting department. I do think Virat knows what he is doing. Rohit has a lot of experience too. So I am sure they will give youngsters the right advice.”