Jharkhand coach explains why MS Dhoni doesn't play domestic tournaments

Former India captain MS Dhoni has been criticised time and again for not playing domestic cricket even when he has failed to time the ball in international cricket. But Rajiv Kumar, the coach of Dhoni’s home state Jharkhand has a valid point for not backing the idea of the ace wicketkeeper-batsman trying his luck in domestic games.

The 37-year-old was recently dropped from India’s T20I team also and now has the only format he plays is one-day cricket. Questions over Dhoni skipping domestic cricket have been raised by many, including former India captain Sunil Gavaskar who wonder why the Jharkhand cricketer doesn’t hone his skills when not playing international cricket as that could see him return to some form of shape ahead of the World Cup 2019, predicted by many to be the man’s farewell international event.

He is not one to block some youngster’s way

Kumar has explained the reason why Dhoni prefers not to play domestic tournaments for his return will block a berth that could go to a youngster who is trying to make a mark in his career. He appreciated the efforts that Dhoni takes to attend the training sessions whenever he is in Ranchi and speak to youngsters and offer them tips to improve the game.

“Yes, there have been talks about this, but you also need to understand that him coming and joining the team means someone else misses out. Do you think MS would want to do that? Also, you have to understand that the youngsters in the team are trying to use every opportunity to impress and having Dhoni play the four-day format would be unfair,” Kumar was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

Dhoni was the captain both times when India won their world titles in the 20-overs and 50-overs formats in 2007 and 2011, respectively. He stepped down from Test captaincy in Australia in 2014 and also quit the long format. He continued to be India’s limited-overs captain till January 2017 and still serves as the skipper of Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. He led them to win the title thrice, including in 2018.

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from Australia vs India series, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.