Why is MS Dhoni still playing at 43? Harbhajan Singh reveals reason CSK icon is playing his 18th IPL season
MS Dhoni is set to play his 18th IPL season and Harbhajan Singh said that he had recently asked the CSK icon how he is pushing on at the age of 43.
MS Dhoni is set to play his 18th Indian Premier League (IPL) season in what is technically his 25th year in cricket, having made his senior debut in the Ranji Trophy for Bihar in January, 2000. Notably, he remained relevant to Chennai Super Kings' cause last season even at the age of 42, scoring 161 runs but that came at an incredible strike rate of 220.54 and average of 53.66 in 11 innings and remaining as sharp as ever behind the wickets. Dhoni's longtime former teammate Harbhajan Singh has now revealed what the great man told him when asked how he keeps going at this age.
“I met him recently at a wedding function. He looked very fit and solid,” said Harbhajan on ESPNCricinfo. “I asked him, 'Isn’t it hard, what you’re doing?' He said, ‘It is hard, but this is the only thing I like doing. I enjoy it. As as the clock ticks to 4 or 5 in the evening, I want to go and play. And I want to do it.’ So as long as you have that hunger inside, you will do it.”
'He is not just surviving but dominating all bowlers'
Dhoni retired from international cricket in August 2020, with his last game for India being the semi-final of the World Cup the previous year. Since then, the only cricket he has played has been in the IPL. Harbhajan noted that playing only the IPL and nothing else must be difficult but the fact that Dhoni faces an incredible amount of deliveries in the extensive practice periods he gets into before the tournament should be helpful.
“It’s hard without playing any cricket in between but he is showing how it is done. He must be doing something better than the others. He is not just surviving but dominationg all bowlers. He faces so many deliveries in the practice that he does 2-3 months before the IPL,” he said.
