'It all depends on his body' - Krishnamachari Srikkanth weighs in on MS Dhoni's retirement talks after latter's post-match comments

Chennai Super Kings made it to their tenth IPL final after making light work of defending champions Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 at Chepauk. It was CSK's master tactician MS Dhoni who structured the Titans' demise to perfection. Following the victory, the iconic skipper once again teased about his future, saying he has enough time to think about next year's IPL.

While the former Indian skipper has not made any definite decision on his retirement plans, a large contingent of Indian fans believe it might be the serial winner's last-ever tournament. The 41-year-old revealed in his post-match comments that he will think about his retirement after the IPL concludes.

Following Dhoni's comments at the post-match presentation, former Indian cricketer Kris Srikkanth stated that Dhoni's physical condition will determine his return for next year's tournament. The former World Cup winner feels that even though Dhoni is not batting for that long in the middle, leading the side also takes a toll on the body.

“He has kept all his options open. He is keeping us guessing. He said ‘I might be a player, I might be a mentor’. It all depends on his body. But, of course, you have to give it to him. He is 41 years old, every day he has to get up and run, work out, getting ready. Captaincy also takes a toll on him. He said it very rightly. I don’t blame him at all. After all this, he has batted very well this year,” Srikkanth told Star Sports.

Once you think about retirement, you are retired: Matthew Hayden

Former Australian opener and Dhoni's former CSK teammate Matthew Hayden revealed the piece of advice he received from the legendary Steve Waugh during his playing days. Hayden feels once Dhoni thinks about his retirement it will be a tough nine months for him, from now to next year's IPL.

“It’s one of those tough decisions, Steve Waugh once said this to me ‘once you think about retirement, you are retired’. And that’s how hard it can be. Those 9 months, long, long time,” Hayden said.