"Hope he keeps going for another couple of years" - CSK batting coach Michael Hussey on MS Dhoni's IPL future
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting coach Michael Hussey admitted to being unsure of MS Dhoni's future in the IPL but hoped the legendary cricketer would continue playing for another two years. The 42-year-old underwent knee surgery after IPL 2023 and has battled a muscle tear in the ongoing season.
During the off-season, Dhoni relinquished CSK captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad and the move created speculations on whether the ongoing season would be the veteran wicketkeeper's final IPL.
When asked about the same on ESPN's Around the Wicket show, Hussey said:
"Your guess is as good as mine at this stage. He keeps his cards very, very close to his chest. We are hoping he does keep going. From a personal point of view, I hope he keeps going for another couple of years. But we will just have to wait and see. He is the only one who will make that call. And he likes to sort of build the drama a little bit as well. So I wouldn't expect a decision anytime soon."
Hussey lauded Dhoni for his preparation and incredible batting this season but stated his knee surgery as the reason for the champion cricketer not batting up the order.
"He is still batting so well. He does prepare well - he gets into the camp very early and hits a lot of balls. He has been in good touch all season really. I guess we just got to try to manage him from the body side of things. He had a knee surgery after the last season. So he has been managing that from the initial stage of the tournament," said Hussey.
He added:
"I know fans probably want to see him batting a little bit higher in the order, but that [the knee surgery] is why we have had to manage him a little bit and he only comes in at the back end. But there has been no one better in being able to come in and hit the ball so cleanly from ball one than MS. He has been phenomenal."
MS Dhoni has been in sensational power-hitting form with the bat this season, averaging 68 at a strike rate of 226.66 in 13 outings.
"MS Dhoni wanted to still be here while the new captain took over" - Michael Hussey
Michael Hussey stated MS Dhoni handed over the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad to ensure he was still playing when the new captain took over to guide him along the way.
Gaikwad replaced Dhoni as CSK skipper a day before their opening encounter of the IPL 2024 season against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
"MS sort of announced that he was not going to be attending the pre-tournament captains meeting. And we're like, 'Oh, no. What's going on? He said Ruturaj was going to be captain from then on. So it was a little bit of a shock to start with but it has been managed really well. "MS wanted to still be here while the new captain took over, to try to help him along the way and sort of mentor him a little bit. So that's worked really well as well," said Hussey.
Despite a few inconsistencies, CSK are in pole position to qualify for the playoffs, sitting third in the table with seven wins in 13 games. They will finish their league stage with a mouthwatering clash against RCB on Saturday, May 18.