Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan said the MS Dhoni of 2010-11 would not be pleased with the Dhoni of 2020. The left-arm pacer, who has played a lot of cricket with Dhoni, believes the CSK skipper would be telling himself to come back fitter and stronger in the next edition of the Indian Premier League.
“If we talk about the next season alone, I was thinking in my mind after seeing MS Dhoni playing the entire season for CSK, what the captain MS Dhoni of 2010 or 2011 would be telling the MS Dhoni of 2020 in this situation,” Irfan said on Star Sports. “He would have said to come next year with better fitness and performance and it is clear that he will do that as well, that is the expectation.”
Dhoni’s lack of runs with the bat was one of the main reasons behind CSK enduring their worst season in the history of IPL, failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in the 11 years that they have been a part of the league. Dhoni scored only 200 runs at an average of 25 and a strike rate of 116.37 – his worst season in of IPL in terms of run scored, average and strike rate. This was also the first time that the CSK captain failed to cross the 250-run mark in a single season of IPL.
Dhoni, however, brought smiles on millions of CSK fans when he announced that he will return to play in the next IPL which is only five months away. The former India captain, who ended his international career in August, assured fans ahead of the match that he would ‘return in the yellow jersey’.
“Definitely not,” Dhoni said at the toss when he was asked by former New Zealand fast bowler Danny Morrison if the game against Kings XI Punjab was his last for CSK. The comment set Twitter alight, with the hashtag #DefinitelyNot trending in India.
