MS Dhoni says he can play for India beyond 2019 World Cup
What's the story?
Fresh from captaining Jharkhand in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, MS Dhoni admitted that he has no intentions of retiring anytime soon. Although he gave up the limited-overs captaincy at the start of the year, the 35-year-old spoke about his plans of playing beyond the 2019 World Cup.
Speaking at a LAVA mobiles event in Delhi, the former Indian captain spoke about his fitness and while he did admit he can suffer from injuries and that is not something he can control, he was confident of playing beyond the 2019 World Cup in England.
When asked about whether he is 100 % likely to play in the 2019 World Cup, MS Dhoni said: “There’s is nothing called 100 per cent. The reason being, we are in 2017, 2019 is two years. A lot can change in two years, especially when you have played cricket for over 10 years and seeing India Cricket Team’s schedule, it is a very tough schedule. Uske baad aap thode vintage car ban jate hai ( After that you become a Vintage car). A lot of caring is needed. Sitting how I am today, Yes, the way I am today, I can easily go beyond that (2019 World Cup)”.
The context
Earlier in the year, MS Dhoni stepped down from limited-overs captaincy and Virat Kohli took over as skipper across all three formats. Since then, he has scored a century in the second ODI against England, scored his maiden T20I fifty and showcased impressive form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy where he captained Jharkhand to the semi-final.
The Details
Giving up captaincy certainly seems to have done wonders for Dhoni's form with the bat in international cricket. He has played with a sense of freedom and score a century and fifty in his last five games in international cricket.
While there were some doubts about whether he could carry on and be the batsman he was at the start of his career, his recent performances have banished that thought and there has never really been any questions about his fitness.
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What’s next?
Dhoni has been rested for the Deodhar Trophy, which will mean his next cricketing assignment will be IPL 2017, where he will play for the Rising Pune Supergiants. The wicketkeeper batsman’s next national assignment will be the ICC Champions Trophy in June.
Author’s Take
Fitness has never been an issue as far as Dhoni is concerned. The fact that he gave up his limited-overs captaincy and wants to concentrate on his batting is a sign that he has no ideas of calling time on his international career anytime soon. And his words will come as a welcome relief to his fans, who feared he might call it a day after this year’s ICC Champions Trophy.