Former Indian off-roader Irfan Pathan has expressed surprise at MS Dhoni’s new training regimen in the UAE before the IPL. Those who know of Dhoni’s training pattern know that the former captain of India never practices wicket maintenance in nets, but this time he has made an exception. Chennai Super Kings shared a video on Monday showing Dhoni holding grounds as part of his training exercise and the reason behind this, acknowledges Pathan, could be due to his absence from cricket in more than a year.
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“We have seen a new visual image where we have seen MS Dhoni maintaining the wickets. This never happens, this is something new to me because I have played cricket for so many years with him, whether it is for the Indian team or in the league with CSK, I have never seen him save ground, “Pathan told Star Sports.
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“So this is because he hasn’t played cricket for a long time. I guess there were some bowling pins that got the legs spinning so I may be trying to check in on new players, but it’s good to see it’s holding up during practice. “
Dhoni last played any form of cricket in July last year, the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand that ended in a heartbreak for Virat Kohli’s India. He announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, but Dhoni is eager to return to play for a CSK, a team that has become one of the best IPL teams of all time. CSK will face the Mumbai Indians in the opening match on September 19 and the responsibilities they will share are even greater this time in the absence of Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh.
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“Absolutely, this had to happen. And these are good images because there has been some disruption at Chennai Super Kings after the withdrawal of two players with Suresh Raina returning and Harbhajan Singh not playing, ”said Pathan.
“So it is good news that practice has started and it is no surprise that fans have come there to see MS Dhoni. This has been going on for so many years and it is not a shock that it is also happening now. Covid is there, but still fans have come there to see MS Dhoni. “
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