Updated April 15th, 2020 at 21:49 IST

Mohammad Kaif says MS Dhoni is fit enough to play the T20 World Cup, here's why

Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif said that India's 2011 World Cup-winning skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is fit enough to play the ICC T20 World Cup

Reported by: Karthik Nair
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Mohammad Kaif has come forward and said that Mahendra Singh Dhoni should represent India in the ICC T20 World Cup 2020 which is scheduled to be held in Australia later this year. Dhoni has been on a sabbatical from the game ever since Team India's ouster from the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in July last year. 

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'He is fit': Mohammad Kaif 

"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," said Kaif.

"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.

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'Dhoni is a champion player': Kaif 

"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.

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The status of IPL 2020

The BCCI had several plans in mind to conduct IPL 2020. They first conceived the idea of conducting a month-long IPL with the final scheduled in the first week of June. Then they also were planning to play the games behind closed doors but a rapid rise in the number of coronavirus cases in the country saw all the plans pushed to the backburner.

The only available window for an IPL in the current year would be between September and November, provided Cricket Australia and the ICC agree to reschedule the T20 World Cup. The six-month travel restrictions in Australia end on September 30 if the situation becomes normal and the T20 World Cup is scheduled in October-November.

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(Image Courtesy: AP)

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Published April 15th, 2020 at 21:49 IST