MS Dhoni's IPL Future Uncertain, Hussey Hopes for Continued Presence

MS Dhoni's IPL Future: Hussey Hopes for 'Another Couple of Years'

Michael Hussey, Chennai Super Kings' batting coach, remains uncertain about MS Dhoni's future in the Indian Premier League (IPL) but expresses his desire for the legendary wicketkeeper-batter to continue for a few more seasons.

"Your guess is as good as mine at this stage," Hussey said on ESPN's Around the Wicket show. "He keeps his cards very close to his chest. We are hoping he does keep going."

Despite undergoing knee surgery after the previous IPL season, Dhoni has been in impressive form this year, scoring 136 runs in ten innings at a strike rate of 226.66. Hussey attributes this to Dhoni's meticulous preparation and ability to hit the ball cleanly from the first delivery.

"He is still batting so well. He does prepare well - he gets into the camp very early and hits a lot of balls," Hussey said. "He has been in good touch all season really."

However, CSK has been managing Dhoni's workload due to his knee surgery, often sending him in to bat at lower positions. Hussey acknowledges that fans may prefer to see Dhoni bat higher in the order, but emphasizes the need to protect his body.

"I know fans probably want to see him batting a little bit higher in the order," Hussey said, "but that [the knee surgery] is why we have had to manage him a little bit and he only comes in at the back end."

At the start of the season, Dhoni surprised many by handing over the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad. Hussey reveals that Dhoni's decision was not entirely unexpected, as Gaikwad had been groomed for the role for some time.

"MS sort of announced that he was not going to be attending the pre-tournament captains meeting. And we're like, 'Oh, no. What's going on?'," Hussey said. "He said Ruturaj was going to be captain from then on. So it was a little bit of a shock to start with but it has been managed really well."

Under Gaikwad's leadership, CSK has won seven out of 13 games and is currently third on the points table. Gaikwad himself has been a key contributor with the bat, scoring 583 runs at a strike rate of 141.50.

"He is a great guy, Ruturaj, very calm," Hussey said. "He is a good thinker of the game. I mean it was always going to be a massive challenge for him, you know, how do you follow someone like MS Dhoni - it was going to be tough. But he has done a great job."

Hussey believes that Gaikwad will continue to improve as captain and that his batting has not been affected by the added responsibility.

Tags: #MSDhoni, #IPL, #ChennaiSuperKings, #MichaelHussey, #RuturajGaikwad