Don’t put MS Dhoni into retirement too early: Nasser Hussain

Nasser Hussain, the former England captain, said that MS Dhoni shouldn’t be forced into retiring from cricket. The veteran called for appreciating the 38-year-old while he’s in the thick of things, calling him a once-in-a-generation player. Dhoni hasn’t played any international cricket ever since the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand where Martin Guptill ran him out.

From there on, he went on a sabbatical and there’s no concrete development about his return to the highest level. In the meantime, speculations of him retiring from the game have been doing the rounds. Most of the experts have had the opinions about the same, including his childhood coach and parents. Hussain has now backed Dhoni, saying that the latter knows his mental state the best.

MS Dhoni still has a lot to offer

“Once Dhoni is gone, there is no getting him back. There are some legends of the game, appreciating while around, because they are once-in-a-generation cricketer and don’t push him into retirement too early. Only Dhoni knows his mental state and in the end the selectors select and players turn up when asked to,” Hussain was quoted as saying in Star Sports on its new show ‘Cricket Connected’.

Over the last couple of years, there has been questions surrounding Dhoni’s credentials for Team India. Nevertheless, Hussain didn’t mince any words in saying that the Jharkhand-born still has loads to offer for his country in the cricketing field.

“Is MS Dhoni still good enough to get in the Indian side? It is as simple as that. That should apply for anyone across the board. What I have seen of Dhoni, I still think MS Dhoni has a huge amount to offer for Indian cricket,” he added.

Earlier, MSK Prasad, the former chief of India’s selection panel, said that the team would be looking ahead of Dhoni after the World Cup. Rather, they would be grooming the likes of Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson.

Dhoni has also been said to be in contention for a spot in the 2020 edition of the T20 World Cup in Australia. In July, he will be turning 39 years old and it remains to be seen if he manages to stage a comeback in his late 30s.