New Delhi: MS Dhoni has acknowledged he is at the final stretch of his career and will take a call on retirement after reviewing his body condition six-eight months after the conclusion of IPL 2025.
Dhoni’s retirement has been a topic of intense speculation with fans turning up in large numbers wherever he play in anticipation of seeing him in action for possibly the last time.
Eden Gardens on Wednesday was no exception as Dhoni stayed unbeaten on 17 to guide Chennai Super Kings to a two-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders, pushing the defending champions to the brink of elimination from the play-offs race.
Speaking about the adulation he received at the ground where he played a lot in his formative years, Dhoni said: “That is the love and affection I have gotten throughout. Not to forget I am 42 (43). I have played a long time. A lot of them don’t know when it is going to be my last time, so they want to come and see me play.”
Dhoni has been dogged by persistent knee problemd nd even underwent a surgery in 2023 with CSK coach Stephen Fleming disclsoing that the keeper-batter is unable to bat for 10 overs running full stick.
“There is no escaping the fact (that I am in the last phase of my career). After this IPL gets over, I have to work hard for another 6-8 months to see if my body can take this pressure. Nothing to decide now but the love and affection I have seen is excellent,” he added.
CSK have already been eliminated from the play-offs race and are using their remaining matches to test bench strength.
“There were a few things that did not go our way. You could get emotional about it, talk about the pride factor but you have to be practical about it,” Dhoni said.
“Just concentrating about where the 25 players could fit. Want to be competitive but you also want answers – which batter can fit where, which bowler can bowl where, according to the conditions and all. When we started, hardly anyone was scoring.
“We are out of the tournament, so you give them a chance, see how they react. It is the approach, the mental toughness that you want to check. The most technically-correct batter does not always score the runs, if you have good awareness … there is a chance to be consistent.”
MS Dhoni’s retirement has been a topic of intense speculation with fans turning up in large numbers wherever CSK play in anticipation of seeing him in action for possibly the last time. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
