Aakash Chopra, former Indian batsman and analyst on Friday said that MS Dhoni will once again rule the roost in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 even if he doesn’t hit the ground running with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He believes that Dhoni Is the life and soul of the franchise at the IPL and continues to be an influential figure for the side.
MS Dhoni has not played competitive cricket since the dramatic exit of the Indian camp at the 2019 World Cup. He announced his retirement from international cricket on 15 August via an emotional Instagram post. He will be seen playing competitive cricket with CSK’s IPL owner against Mumbai Indians on 19th September.
“MS Dhoni is the biggest strength of the team. The entire franchise is dependent on him. He is the soul of Chennai Super Kings. As long as he is there, CSK’s heart keeps beating and they move forward. MS Dhoni, the player and the captain, has a great impact,” Aakash Chopra said in his latest YouTube show. “MS Dhoni, the batsman, we haven’t seen him in a long while. There are questions as to whether he will be able to hit the ground running or bat the way he used to in the past. Keep in mind, he is very experienced, and you don’t get experience in the supermarket.
“This team, as I said before… Dhoni is the life and soul of this team. He is the one who is going to get the best out of everyone. “MS Dhoni, the batsman, is important because when spin takes precedence, his influence will grow. He may not hit the ground running, but as the tournament progresses, I am pretty sure MS Dhoni is going to rule the roost.”
Chennai Super Kings have had a few major setbacks with Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh pulling out of the tournament. They also had 13 contingent members test positive for COVID-19. With the side having a majorly senior player, they definitely bring experience but also the concern of them being on long breaks from cricket.
“Their second strength is the spin department. Harbhajan Singh is not there, it’s a bit of a setback. But they have others like Mitchell Santner, Imran Tahir, Karn Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Piyush Chawla. When you have 5 spinners of this calibre, you can play 2-3 together whenever you want. And in the UAE, when spinners become more important, that’s when they will come to the fore. “Their spin bowling department, even when you take the all-around bowling attack, they have very quality. When it comes to the all-round bowling attack, CSK are at the No. 1 spot.