MS Dhoni News: It’s very tough now for MS Dhoni to make a comeback, says Venkatesh Prasad | Cricket news

NEW DELHI: Mahendra Singh Dhoni last played for India during the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester. It has been almost a year since Dhoni donned his wicket-keeping gloves and was seen in his typical power-packed batting avatar.

The absence of the most-successful Indian captain from the cricket field has sparked a never ending debate about the future of his career.

Will Dhoni, who has played 90 Tests, 350 ODIs and 98 T20 internationals never play for India again or will Mahi make a comeback and don the India blue once more? Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad feels Dhoni will find it difficult to break into the Indian set up.

“It’s very tough for him to really break into the team. It’s tough for him now again to make a comeback because he’s not played cricket for almost a year. It’s not going to be easy for him, ”Prasad told Timesofindia.com in an exclusive interview.

Post the 2019 ICC World Cup, Dhoni, who scored 50 runs off 72 balls in the semis against the Kiwis, took a sabbatical. India had lost the match by 18 runs and suffered an exit from the quadrennial event. The 38-year-old is currently enjoying time away from the game.

Dhoni’s fitness has never been questioned, but the fact that he skipped multiple series after the World Cup made people question if the former India captain, who will turn 39 in July, still wants to come back and play.

“There is no doubt he is very fit but then your reflexes tend to come down as you grow old. He is nearing 40. So, it’s not going to be easy for him. I would also leave it to the team management. If he shows good fitness and also if team management comes up with some strategy, ”Prasad told TimesofIndia.com.

Prasad feels if the team management decide to put Dhoni back into the international roster, then the experienced wicketkeeper-batsman should be pushed up the order in the batting line up.

Instead of treating Dhoni as a finisher, I will play him up the order. I would probably ask him to bat at number 3 or 4. Or, if I have only 10 overs left, I will tell Dhoni go and just play his game the way he plays as a finisher, ”he said.

Dhoni, who is the only captain to win all major ICC trophies (50-over World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy), did not make the cut on the BCCI’s centrally contracted players list, when it was last announced, because he hadn’t played for India for 6 months at that time. In January this year, the board had released the list of centrally contracted players for the period from October 2019 to September 2020.

“Let’s not forget, Dhoni has experience and the inputs that he would give, that’s extremely valuable,” Prasad signed off.