'MS Dhoni still has a lot of cricket left in him' - Former IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla

Ever since MS Dhoni returned to the pavilion after being run out via a direct hit from Martin Guptill during the 2019 World Cup semifinal match between India and New Zealand, the wicket-keeper batsman has not returned to the cricket field. He has kept everyone guessing about his future with many fans believing that Dhoni might never play for India again.

However, former IPL chairman, Rajeev Shukla mentioned in his recent interview that the Ranchi-born superstar has a lot of cricket left in him. He even pointed out that BCCI has a policy which lets a player decide his own future. Hence, MS Dhoni will have the freedom of taking a call on his retirement.

‘Dhoni is a great cricketer’: Rajiv Shukla 

Talking to the reporters in Indore, Rajiv Shukla was quoted as follows by India Today– “Dhoni is a great cricketer and there is a lot more cricket left in him. But, he has to decide when he should take retirement.”

He further affirmed that the board will allow him to decide his future in the cricket world. “The BCCI has a policy in place that a cricketer has to take a call on when to take retirement,” he added.

It is worth noting that the wicket-keeper batsman had retired from Test cricket a few years ago and even in the limited-overs formats, he handed over the captaincy to Virat Kohli. Although he is unlikely to make a comeback to the Indian team anytime soon, it is widely expected that he will turn up for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2020.

Indian coach Ravi Shastri had earlier confirmed Dhoni’s participation in IPL 2020, saying that his performances in the IPL will determine his place in the Indian squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Besides, Shukla even talked about India’s busy international schedule. While the Indian skipper, Virat Kohli recently took a jibe at the hectic international schedule of the Indian team, Shukla feels that the administrators should plan a proper gap between two series in order to manage the workload of the players.

Watch: Irfan Pathan’s interview post his retirement