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‘That feeling of getting towards the end,’ Matthew Hayden talks MS Dhoni retirement
Hayden feels Dhoni will eventually know whether he’s served his time.
Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden feels MS Dhoni will make the right decision regarding his career. Hayden, who has played alongside Dhoni with Chennai Super Kings and admits to share a friendship with the former India captain, believes that although Dhoni has been on a break since the World Cup last June, he will eventually know whether he’s served his time.
Head coach Ravi Shastri had earlier stated that plenty will depend on Dhoni’s performance in the IPL if India’s most successful captain is to get a final run with the national team. However, with no certainty regarding the IPL and its future, it is assumed that Dhoni’s chances to return to the Indian team are bare minimum. Even MSK Prasad, the former BCCI chairman of selectors had in November said that the panel has ‘moved on’ from Dhoni.
“It’s always very hard as a personal friend of MS to comment on his career,” Hayden told IANS. “I think every champion, and I consider MS to be a champion, always knows the enough time to put themselves out of the game and not feeling that forced feeling of getting towards the end of the career when the time is ticking,” Hayden told IANS.
“I am sure he will make the best decision for himself as he has done throughout his whole career.”
Head coach Ravi Shastri had earlier stated that plenty will depend on Dhoni’s performance in the IPL if India’s most successful captain is to get a final run with the national team. However, with no certainty regarding the IPL and its future, it is assumed that Dhoni’s chances to return to the Indian team are bare minimum. Even MSK Prasad, the former BCCI chairman of selectors had in November said that the panel has ‘moved on’ from Dhoni.
Hayden weighed in on the possibility of the IPL taking place this year, believing the tournament could go ahead without the availability of foreign players. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries have imposed border restrictions that has taken travelling out of the equation, and that is one of the bigger hurdles the IPL faces. Hayden however believes that if the IPL indeed gets the green light, there is a possibility of seeing a tournament exclusively for Indian cricketers.
“Certainly, the IPL could take exist without foreign players. I think it would be a product that is being compromised naturally because foreign players do add a lot to the IPL. They raise the level of awareness and excitement among fans. Getting nations together has infact made IPL the fun that it has been.
“But in conditions like this, it could go on without foreign players and it should go on if all health issues have been uncompromised and the game can proceed in clean stadiums.”
