MS Dhoni Aims to Relish Final Years of Cricket, Embraces Aggressive Test Approach

MS Dhoni, the legendary Indian cricketer, has expressed his desire to savor the remaining years of his cricketing career. While his availability for IPL 2025 remains uncertain, Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan has expressed optimism about Dhoni's participation in the upcoming season.

"I just want to enjoy whatever last few years of cricket I'm able to play," Dhoni stated at a promotional event in Goa. "Like how during our childhood we used to go out and play at 4[pm], just enjoying the game. But when you play professional sport it becomes difficult to enjoy the game just like a game. So what I want to do is, there are emotions and commitments, but I want to enjoy the game for the next few years."

Dhoni's eligibility for retention by CSK as an uncapped player stems from the IPL's reinstatement of a rule that considers players retired from international cricket for five years as uncapped. This rule change opens the door for Dhoni's retention, as he retired from international cricket in 2019.

During IPL 2024, Dhoni batted lower down the order, facing only a limited number of deliveries. While workload management due to his knee surgery played a role in this decision, Dhoni also revealed that it was intended to provide game time to Indian players vying for a spot in the T20 World Cup.

"My thinking was simple, if others are doing their job well why do I need to come up the order," Dhoni explained. "If you're talking about last year (season) specifically, the T20 World Cup squad was going to be announced soon. So we have to give people who are fighting for a spot a chance. In our team (CSK) we had a few, [Ravindra] Jadeja was there, Shivam Dube was there so you give them an opportunity to prove themselves to get into the Indian team. There was nothing in it for me, no selection and other things. So I'm good behind [playing down the order] and my team was happy with what I was doing."

Dhoni also expressed his admiration for the aggressive style of play known as "Bazball," which has become prevalent in Test cricket. He believes that the focus on results has made the format more exciting.

"You can give cricket any term that you want to, what we have seen is cricket has evolved," Dhoni said. "The way people are playing cricket is very different. There was a time when in ODIs something was considered a safe score, now that score is not safe in T20s too."

"For me, the most difficult time during a Test match was the fifth day of a match which is the last day when you knew that 100% it is going to be a draw," he added. "I would still need to keep for nearly 2.5 sessions and that was the most tiring part. You see there is no result happening, you are just going through the motions. Yes, bowlers would like to take wickets, batters will try to score runs, [but] there is no result in the game. You think let's finish this and go, why do I have to be here. So I love the fact there's change in the way teams are playing Test cricket."

Tags: #MSDhoni, #Cricket, #IPL, #ChennaiSuperKings, #Bazball