Veteran Indian wicketkeeper MS Dhoni returned to the field on Saturday for the first time in 437 days, with his last appearance being India's World Cup 2019 semifinal exit. Dhoni took the field as the captain of the Chennai Super Kings for the IPL 2020 opener against defending champions Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi. It is also his first appearance in a cricket match since his international retirement which he announced on August 15.
Since his last international appearance, in Manchester last year, Dhoni did not make himself available for any of the limited-overs matches for India despite the management desperately looking to replace a struggling Rishabh Pant. Speculations about his retirement soon became rife but Dhoni remained tight-lipped.
He had finally geared up for a return to the sport for IPL 2020 as per the initial fixture list, i.e March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium. Dhoni had reached Chennai and had practiced with the Super Kings for the 13th season before the coronavirus pandemic urged BCCI to postpone the tournament indefinitely. And speculations once again began on the future of Dhoni and whether a return to the Indian T20I squad for the World Cup in Australia looked plausible.
But on the evening of August 15, at "19:29", Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket. However, Chennai Super Kings confirmed that he would be available for IPL 2020 in the UAE.
On Saturday, he won the toss and opted to bowl first.
"Late evening you get dew. Also to keep wicket in good condition they water it, so it tends to be tacky at the start. Have the liberty during lockdown to spend time on yourself to keep fit. Have to applaud every member of the squad. First six days in quarantine is very difficult. Felt each individual used that time well and nobody was disappointed or frustrated. The practice facilities were very good. After the first 14 days it was nice to get out. Being a gentleman's game you don't think about revenge (against MI). You think about the mistakes you made. Four overseas - Watto, Faf, Sam and Lungi," he said after winning the toss.
