Wasim Jaffer Bats for MS Dhoni’s Return in International Cricket, Says ‘India Can’t Look Beyond the Wicket-Keeper Batsman’
With KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant proving their mettle at the highest level, several cricket pundits and experts believe that the talismanic wicket-keeper batsman’s return in the blue jersey is highly unlikely. However, former Indian international Wasim Jaffer believes that the Indian cricket team should not look beyond a “fit and inform” MS Dhoni.
The 2020 edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) has been postponed amid the coronavirus outbreak and the future of MS Dhoni’s international career again became a hot topic of debate among fans. With KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant proving their mettle at the highest level, several cricket pundits and experts believe that the talismanic wicket-keeper batsman’s return in the blue jersey is highly unlikely. However, former Indian international Wasim Jaffer believes that the Indian cricket team should not look beyond a “fit and inform” MS Dhoni. Taking to Twitter, the 42-year old termed Dhoni an asset behind the stumps and said that the two-time World Cup winning captain can also take the pressure off from other players. MS Dhoni's India Comeback 'Depends' on Performance in IPL 2020, What if T20 League is Cancelled This Year?
“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,” wrote the recently retired Jaffer on the micro-blogging website.
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Dhoni, who took a long sabbatical from cricket following India’s heart-breaking loss against New Zealand in semi-finals of 2019 World Cup, hasn’t played a professional match in the last nine months and with dates of IPL being shifted, fans have to wait for more to see the star in action.
Earlier, India’s legendary opener Virender Sehwag claimed that there’s no place for Dhoni in the current Indian set-up as the likes of Pant and Rahul have been doing well and there’s no reason why the Men in Blue shouldn’t stick with them.
Meanwhile, the 2020 edition of the IPL is under dark clouds and some speculations are that the gala T20 tournament can well get called off. Nevertheless, no official statement has come regarding the news and the fans must be hoping to witness their favourite stars in the T20 extravaganza again.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 19, 2020 08:55 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).