MS Dhoni not available and his decision must be respected: Ex-India selector Kiran More

MS Dhoni has been on a sabbatical break from international cricket since the conclusion of the 2019 World Cup in England. The former Indian captain was expected to return to professional cricket through the Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL 2020) season. However, the ongoing coronavirus crisis has prompted the tournament to be indefinitely postponed with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) reportedly taking full measures to organise the event sometime later this year.

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Kiran More defends MS Dhoni, says retirement is cricketer’s call

Rumours and speculation regarding MS Dhoni’s retirement continue to amplify as the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman has not played competitive cricket since July 2019. However, the 2011 World Cup-winning captain has decided to maintain a low profile in revealing his future plans. Former Indian selector and a wicketkeeper himself, Kiran More, came out in defence of MS Dhoni this week.

In an interview with Sportskeeda, Kiran More was asked about MS Dhoni’s potential retirement. More stated that while it is a difficult decision to take, it is something the cricketer must make himself. The ex-selector also said that sometimes age and the degree of physical well-being does not allow an athlete to keep playing even if their mind wants them to keep going. However, Kiran More said that this was not a case with MS Dhoni as he saw him practising and raring to go during the Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) practise sessions before IPL 2020 got indefinitely postponed.

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The former Indian wicketkeeper further praised MS Dhoni’s contributions towards the team and stated that his priority has always been Indian cricket. Since Dhoni has currently made himself unavailable for selection due to his break, Kiran More urged fans and selectors to respect his decision. More added that MS Dhoni has respect for the game as well as for his country by citing an example when the seasoned campaigner himself quit captaincy in 2016 to make way for Virat Kohli.

IPL 2020: MS Dhoni for CSK

During the IPL 2020 trading and transfer window, MS Dhoni became one of the 20 cricketers to be retained by CSK. The right-handed batsman was retained for ₹15 crore ($2.1 million) by the franchise for the now-postponed IPL season. MS Dhoni’s return to professional cricket as CSK’s captain was also one of the most talked-about aspects of IPL 2020.

Moreover, his performance in the Indian T20 tournament was also expected to be heavily supervised for the cricketer to vouch for his comeback into the Indian team in time for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. Indian Head Coach Ravi Shastri himself stated in January that MS Dhoni’s return to international cricket will depend on his IPL 2020 performance. However, the T20 World Cup itself is clouded in much uncertainty at the moment due to the pandemic.

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