Former Indian captain Kapil Dev has questioned MS Dhoni's fans for wanting him for wanting him to play professional cricket for as long as possible. The World Cup-winning captain reminded that Dhoni has been playing for nearly 15 years now and can't be expected to go on for more.
Amid speculations regarding his retirement after IPL 2023, Dhoni has remained tight-lipped about his exact plans. Following the Qualifier 1 clash against the Gujarat Titans, the Chennai Super Kings skipper stated that he has 8-9 months to decide his IPL future.
Speaking to ABP News, Dev stated that fans should be cherishing the entertainment Dhoni has provided in the last 15 years and stop expecting more.
"He’s been playing for 15 years. What else do we want from him? Should he continue playing for the rest of his life? It won’t happen. We should be thankful that a player (of such caliber) came who continued playing for 15 years. He may not play tomorrow or next season but Dhoni has played some brilliant cricket towards the end."
Kapil Dev hails MS Dhoni for keeping the team together:
The Haryana-born former cricketer feels Dhoni might have been short of runs, but he has kept the team together, evident by CSK reaching the finals. The 64-year-old also lauded the keeper-batter for maintaining his fitness despite injury concerns.
"He may not have scored heavily but has kept hold of the team. This show the importance of a captain. Maybe, in other games captain isn’t that important but in cricket it’s significant and that’s what Dhoni has shown. Hats off to him. If you play cricket throughout the year, it gets easier (to maintain fitness). If a player is just playing in IPL, then it’s quite difficult. He should he praised for that."
The 41-year-old keeper-batter will lead CSK against the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2023 final on Monday in Ahmedabad.
