'MS Dhoni is like Kapil Dev' - Ravi Shastri lauds fitness levels of India's former skippers

Indian men’s cricket team’s head coach, Ravi Shastri, recently commented on MS Dhoni’s chances of selection in the upcoming ICC World T20. This statement comes at a time when speculations regarding MS Dhoni’s retirement are at an all-time high. And, given that Shastri’s statement is a positive one, it will surely act as a ray of hope for the fans who would definitely want to see MS Dhoni play some more international cricket before he hangs up his boots.

MS Dhoni, the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman of the Indian cricket team has not been seen on the field after the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup. There were occasional sightings of MS in the JSCA Cricket stadium in his home town Ranchi, but he remained absent from any of team India’s training sessions and opted out of all the series after the World Cup.

As quoted by CNNNews 18, Shastri while commenting on MS’s chances of playing said, “We had a conversation but that’s between me and MS, that’s in the dressing room. What I feel is that people must respect is he’s played non-stop in all formats of the game for a while. He’s finished playing Test match, and in all probability, he’ll finish one-day cricket.”

This statement of his is a clear indication that contrary to the popular belief, MS Dhoni has conveyed his plans to the team management. Also, it has also cleared the air on the fact that former India skipper might continue playing the shortest format of the sport while hanging his boots for ODIs.

Previously, Dhoni had stopped playing Test cricket too, stating that he wanted to focus on the shorter formats. Shastri also added that his fitness levels along with a good IPL season could easily earn him a spot in the side for the T20 World Cup.

Ravi Shastri compares MS Dhoni to Kapil Dev

Ravi Shastri, also compared Dhoni’s fitness level’s to that of his former teammate and the only other India captain to have lifted the World Cup- Kapil Dev. Shastri said, just like Kapil had no fitness issues during the latter half of his career, MS also won’t have to miss cricket because of any kind of fitness issues.

He said, “If a guy is performing and if a guy who’s never had fitness problems in his entire career… I mean for me he’s like Kapil Dev. Kaps (Kapil) never had a problem, right through his career. Towards the end of his career also if there was one day cricketer, I am sure he would have played another two years.”

When asked about the selection criterion for the World Cup team, Shastri laid out each one of them pretty clearly. He told that a good IPL, performance and playing conditions in Australia, experience and flamboyance along with other factors would determine if a player gets the berth or not. And, given the fact that Shastri and the Indian captain are still in search of an ICC Trophy, they would leave no stone unturned to get one in the coming months.

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