'BCCI should answer this question' - Irfan Pathan on MS Dhoni's international future

MS Dhoni and his international future has been a topic of debate for more than six months now. While the veteran hasn’t played a single game since the World Cup semi-final last year, the fans were eager to see him in the Indian Premier League (IPL) which was originally scheduled to start on March 29. However, amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, the tournament stands postponed and it likely to be cancelled this year.

This has put serious question marks over Dhoni’s future in international cricket. The newly minted chief selector Sunil Joshi had already cleared that the former India skipper can come back into the team if he has a good IPL season even as a similar words were iterated by the head coach Ravi Shastri.

However, with the chances of IPL not happening this year, various cricketers are giving their opinion on the much debated MS Dhoni matter. And the former India cricketer Irfan Pathan has also opened up on the same. He feels that the BCCI itself should answer the burning question over the 38-year-old’s future.

He obviously needs to play, says Irfan Pathan

Irfan also praised MS Dhoni for his contribution to the Indian cricket but also added its time that he starts playing for India again if he is not retiring any time soon. It also remains to be seen if the wicketkeeper-batsman will be considered for the T20 World Cup to be played later this year.

“He obviously needs to play. If he does, he should for India. He is the most amazing cricketer we have. He has been fantastic for the country. He has given so much to the world of cricket. But if he (Dhoni) is just drafted in, will it be fair for those who have been playing regularly is an important question.

“KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant have been playing consistently for a year. So, this question needs to be answered by the board,” Irfan Pathan said while speaking to Indian Express. He also spoke on the possibility of the upcoming T20 World Cup being in troubled waters due to the Coronavirus stating that it should be cancelled if needed as nothing is bigger than life.

“All organisations need to see the situation in Australia (for the T20 World Cup) every three, four weeks and then make a decision. If something has to be deferred or cancelled, so be it. You cannot do anything because you need to save lives, which should be the most important thing on everybody’s mind at the moment,” the 35-year-old further added.