Balaji said that athletes like MS Dhoni, Roger Federer and Tiger Woods never lose their skills despite being out of the game for a long period of time.
MS Dhoni file image. (Photo:/@msdfansofficial)
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bowling coach Lakshmipathy Balaji has compared the team’s skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to Roger Federer and Tiger Woods and said that these athletes never lose their skills despite being out of the game for a long period of time.
“We shouldn’t be talking about Dhoni’s six-month break. It is no big deal. If you see Tiger Woods or Roger Federer, they miss major tournaments and then come back. The break doesn’t mean that they go off the boil. The skill level doesn’t change. It is the same with Dhoni.
“When it comes to proven performers, you need not think about their skill level. He might not be the same as he was when he was 25 or 26, but he is much better-equipped with the mental side of the game. From what I saw during the CSK training, it never looked like Dhoni was away from the game for any length of time. He didn’t look rusty even on the first day of training. That is his greatness,” Balaji said to The Times of India during a chat on Wednesday as quoted by IANS.
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The former India international further opined that even though it was the national selectors’ call whether to pick Dhoni back in the Indian team or not, he said that he would certainly have veteran wicketkeeper-batsman in the side for the ICC T20 World Cup due to be played in Australia later this year.
“It is entirely up to selectors but if you ask me, I would always go with MS for any big tournament. Beyond his finishing skills, there are a lot of things he brings to the table. It is about having multiple inputs in a team game. When it comes to winning big tournaments, we can’t have makeshift players as it leads to uncertainty. It is about having the best players for every slot,” he pointed.
Meanwhile, Dhoni last played for India in the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup after which he took a sabbatical from competitive cricket.
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