Former India opener and domestic cricketer Wasim Jaffer has said that Team India cannot drop veteran wicket-keeper batsman, MS Dhoni, in the upcoming T20 World Cup if he is fit and in form. Jaffer, who announced his retirement from all forms of cricket earlier this month, said that Dhoni’s inclusion could help KL Rahul or Rishabh Pant; who are currently the wicketkeeper of Team India in limited-overs cricket.

“If Dhoni is fit and in form I think we can’t look beyond him as he’ll be an asset behind the stumps and also lower down the order. It’ll take the pressure of keeping off Rahul and India can play Pant as a batsman too if they want a lefty,” Jaffer said in a tweet.

MS Dhoni, 38, last represented India at the 2019 World Cup in England where India lost to New Zealand in the semi-finals. Since then, he has been out of the action and yet to be back in the cricket field in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). On the other hand, India head coach Ravi Shastri has said that Dhoni’s selection will be dependent on his performance in IPL where MS Dhoni will play for Chennai Super Kings.

Read here: The Future of IPL 2020 at Stake?

“It all depends on when he starts playing and how he is playing during the IPL. What are the other people doing with the wicket-keeping gloves or what is the form of those players as opposed to Dhoni”s form. The IPL becomes a massive tournament because that could be the last tournament after which more or less your 15 is decided,” Shastri had told IANS in November last year.

“There might be one player who might be there and thereabouts in case of an injury or whatever. But your team I would say would be known after the IPL. What I would say is rather than speculating of who is where, wait for the IPL to get over and then you are in a position to take a call on who are the best 17 in the country,” he had further added.

The IPL 2020 edition, was about to start on March 29 but now it has been postponed till April 15 due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.