'I don't know why he has dragged it for so long' - Shoaib Akhtar on MS Dhoni's retirement

MS Dhoni and his retirement has been a burning question in the cricketing circles for more than eight months now. He hasn’t played any competitive game since the World Cup semi-final last year and was set to the much-anticipated comeback in the Indian Premier League (IPL). But the tournament got deferred due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the questions over his international future have once again popped up.

Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar has also opined on the matter now and reckons that the ex-India skipper has dragged his retirement call for too long now. He feels that the World Cup semi-final was the right time for the veteran to hang his boots and leave the game with dignity.

“This guy (MS Dhoni) has served to the best of his ability. He should leave cricket with dignity. I don’t know why he dragged it for so long. He should have retired after the World Cup. If I would have been in his place, I would have hung up my boots. I could have played shorter formats for three-four years but I left (after the 2011 WC) as I wasn’t into the game 100 per cent. So why drag?” Akhtar was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

Shoaib Akhtar believes MS Dhoni deserves a great send-off

India head coach Ravi Shastri had earlier said that MS Dhoni can play for India depend if he has a great IPL. But Shoaib Akhtar is of the opinion that he is stuck right now in terms of his international future as the IPL has also been postponed. However, the former Pakistan pacer feels that the wicketkeeper-batsman deserves a great send-off for what he has done and achieved for Indian cricket over the years.

“As a country, you should let him go with a lot of respect and dignity. Give him a nice send off. He has won you the World Cup and done wonders for India. He is a wonderful human being at the same time. But right now, he seems to be stuck. When he could not finish the game in the semifinal (against New Zealand). I felt he should have retired but he can only answer why he didn’t,” the 44-year-old further added.