"Way he is playing, his fitness, his work behind the wickets, it doesn't look like" - S Sreesanth on IPL 2024 being MS Dhoni's final season
Former Indian pacer S Sreesanth feels the 2024 IPL season might not be MS Dhoni's farewell considering the fitness and form he has displayed thus far for CSK.
Dhoni, 42, relinquished captaincy a day before the start of the season, leading to speculations about whether IPL 2024 would be his farewell tour. However, the champion cricketer has been extremely agile behind the stumps with gloves. He also looked in breathtaking form in his lone stint with the bat in CSK's latest outing against DC.
Dhoni scored a scintillating 37* off 16 deliveries with four boundaries and three maximums despite CSK suffering a 20-run defeat.
When asked in an interview with TOI if the ongoing season would be Dhoni's last, Sreesanth said:
"Everyone is saying and talking about Dhoni's last year. The way he is playing, his fitness, his work behind the wickets, it doesn't look like. He is looking much more prepared and fit this season. With his long hair back, it seems we are watching the Dhoni of the early 2000s."
He added:
"I have seen him during the practice sessions too. He had those looks when he was about to play for India A. I am talking about 2002 and 2003. He is much fitter than before. We all spoke about him batting at number 4 or 5. I would love to see him bat on the top and take the opposition to the cleaners."
Despite playing with a knee injury, MS Dhoni led CSK to their fifth title last year, following which he underwent surgery to regain full fitness.
"It is not easy to make a comeback like this and lead a side" - Sreesanth on Rishabh Pant
Sreesanth hailed DC skipper Rishabh Pant for taking up the challenge of leading the side while also taking up responsibility with the bat and gloves.
The 26-year-old was out of competitive cricket since his horrific car accident in December 2022.
"I know Rishabh personally. He is a fighter and a great human being. When he was recovering, he looked very very focused. It is not easy to make a comeback like this and lead a side. He is not taking this IPL as a challenge. He is taking this IPL as an opportunity. We all are proud of him. He is not going to give his best in the IPL, he will be the best," said Sreesanth.
After a couple of middling innings, Pant was back to his fluent best in DC's third game against CSK, scoring a match-winning half-century. The southpaw followed that up with another half-century against KKR despite his side suffering a heavy defeat by 106 runs.