'MS Dhoni has nothing to prove': Ashish Nehra on veteran cricketer's chances of comeback

Ashish Nehra reckons that Mahendra Singh Dhoni has played his last game for India. MS Dhoni has been on a sabbatical from the game ever since Team India's heartbreaking World Cup 2019 semi-final loss at the hands of New Zealand on July 10, 2019. He will be playing competitive cricket for the first time after a year when he leads the three-time winners Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2020 that will be played in the UAE from September 19 to November 8. Dhoni was also excluded from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)'s central contract list for the 2020-21 season.

'MS Dhoni has nothing to prove': Ashish Nehra

“As far as MS Dhoni’s international career, I don’t think this IPL has anything to do with it. If you’re a selector, you’re a captain, you’re a coach and MS Dhoni, the most important thing is if he is ready to play like he will be my number one name on the list,” said Nehra while interacting on the Star Sports show 'Cricket Connected'.

“As much as I know MS Dhoni, I think he has played his last game for India happily. MS Dhoni has nothing to prove. And we all discuss these things as media people you can say and everybody because he has not announced his retirement, so that’s where maybe I think he will take a call and only he can tell what’s in his mind. For me, MS Dhoni’s game never came down. We have discussed this earlier as well, that in the last game that he played, India had the hope to reach the World Cup final till the time MS Dhoni was there and the minute he got run out everybody lost hope", the former left-arm seamer added. 

'CSK will be the first team to reach UAE': Reports

It has been reported that the Chennai Super Kings led by the charismatic skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be leaving for the UAE in the second week of August to kick off the preparations for the IPL 2020 that will be played in the Gulf from September 19 to November 8.

The complete schedule of the tournament will reportedly be out on August 2. Meanwhile, the 13th edition of the cash-rich event was originally scheduled to get underway on March 29 with last year's finalists and arch-rivals Mumbai Indians and CSK locking horns in the tournament opener but was suspended indefinitely due to the ongoing global pandemic. 

According to reports, the three-time winners will be the first team to reach UAE and the players of the 'Yellow Army' will be landing there in the second week of August while the other teams are planning to reach in the country in the third week. Most of the veteran players including the 'Captain Cool' himself have not played any kind of competitive cricket in the past one year and they will be looking to get into the groove and rediscover their rhythm as they eye their fourth title.

READ: 'He Will Absolutely Be Raring To Go': Sam Billings On MS Dhoni's Chances In IPL 2020

(Image Courtesy: AP)