File image of MS Dhoni
Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif on Wednesday reckoned that veteran wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni still has a lot of cricket left in him and hence wants him to be part of the World T20 squad amid rising support for KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant from former Indian cricketers.
"See, people may have eyes on Dhoni that how he is going to play in the IPL and then there will be talks of the T20 World Cup but my view is different from others. I do not judge Dhoni based on his IPL form. He is a great batsman and he is fit now. He wants to play IPL, do captaincy and is showing his availability. He has a winning mentality and knows how to win games under pressure," Kaif told ANI.
"So, I think ruling him out will be unfair. See a lot of cricket is still left in Dhoni and when a player plays for this long, there are ups and downs in his career. It happens with every cricketer, not just Dhoni," he added.
Dhoni last played for India in their World Cup 2019 semifinal loss against New Zealand. India have since then been part of limited-overs fixtures against six teams (twice against West Indies), but Dhoni has been part of none.
He, however, had started preparing for the IPL 2020 as he had reached Chennai to attend the camp at Chepauk. But after the season was suspended owing to coronavirus, all IPL camps were closed.
"The semifinal of the World Cup which we lost, everyone was expecting Dhoni to win it but it did not happen. So, from there on, people thought that Dhoni should not be there. But for me, Dhoni is a champion player. People should look at Dhoni's record in the last 10 to 15 years. See, the current form is important but at the same time his form was not that bad that you rule him out," Kaif said.
