“I saw MS Dhoni in the nets before IPL. He was fit and raring to go,” says Kiran More 

Former India captain MS Dhoni has not played international cricket after India’s semi-final against New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup. The three ICC trophies winning captain was all set to return to competitive cricket with IPL 2020 for Chennai Super Kings, but the tournament got postponed indefinitely due to the Covid19 threat.

In a Facebook Live session with Sportskeeda's Indranil Basu, former India wicketkeeper spoke about Dhoni’s sabbatical, saying that it is his personal call and we need to respect it. Kiran More also maintained that MS Dhoni was raring to go when he saw the latter in the nets.

"It's very difficult, it's his call. It's going to be tough, not going to be easy. Mind says you want to, but the body does not allow. Before IPL, he was fit, I saw him in the nets, he was raring to go. In tennis, guys of 34, 39 are on top of their game. Now if you are disciplined, if you keep your mind and body strong you can make a comeback. Ashish Nehra made a comeback and did very well."

MS Dhoni's priority is Indian cricket, according to More

Calling Dhoni's availability his call, More called for it to be respected. The former India stumper also added that his fellow wicketkeeper's priority is Indian cricket, suggesting he stepped down as Indian captain for the same reason.

"I think it is Dhoni's call, he is not available and we need to respect it. Problem with selectors is that if someone is not available, you need to look ahead. He's not been playing international or domestic, Dhoni's priority is Indian cricket. When he was captain, he decided he won't captain and Kohli would. He had respect for the game and the country,” Kiran More told Sportskeeda.

Kiran More also added that the youngsters are doing really well in Dhoni's absence. According to him, Rishabh Pant, Wriddhiman Saha and Sanju Samson are all outstanding, and KL Rahul is doing pretty well too. The former India wicketkeeper also added that sports would move on and that if given enough opportunities, these youngsters may just break Dhoni's records.

Kiran More, who is also a former chief selector, further said that if Dhoni’s mind and body is strong, he still has cricket left in him, while adding that he noticed a fit and enthusiastic Dhoni in the nets before the IPL.

Kiran More, who played 49 Tests 94 ODIs for India, classified Dhoni under the category of all-rounders, saying that he believes that wicketkeepers are always all-rounders.

"I always believe that wks are all-rounders. Dhoni has nearly 1000 victims, Dravid is also an all-rounder. It's a great support for the bowlers. He's got runs, he's led well, he is one of the top all-rounders,"