Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar underlined that players like MS Dhoni come once-in-a-century and urged the Chennai Super Kings captain to continue his IPL career. The former opening batter reckons the impact player rule should keep the keeper-batter active in the cash-rich league.
Sunil Gavaskar seeks MS Dhoni's autograph:
Gavaskar's comments followed CSK's final home game of the IPL 2023 group stages. Even though rumors surrounding MS Dhoni's retirement from the IPL is rampant, the former India captain stated that everyone wants to see more of him. The 73-year-old went on to seek Dhoni's autograph on his shirt after Sunday's match.
Speaking to Star Sports, Gavaskar claimed:
"KP (Kevin Pietersen) spoke about it earlier, about the Impact Player. As an impact player, he can stick around and play. Players like him come once in a century, not even once in a generation. And therefore, you just want to see more and more of them. We are hoping this is not the last hurrah and that he will be around for some more time to come."
Kevin Pietersen echoes Sunil Gavaskar's comments:
Echoing Gavaskar's comments, former England batter Kevin Pietersen wants Dhoni to fix his knee issue as the IPL needs him. The former England captain feels the lap of honour at Chepauk would be an emotional moment for his family.
"I think everybody wants to keep going. With the impact player becoming more relevant now, I think he can. Yes, absolutely. This is the one tournament he needs to get up for. He can rest his body. If something is wrong with his knee, he can try and sort it out over the next couple of months. Why not? He is a fit guy, he is an athlete. He must love this. Why would he want to give this away? He is under no pressure. He doesn't have to perform. He just needs to be MS Dhoni. And for his kids, for his wife, for his family, how amazing must this have been? Watching this lap of honour."
The Super Kings suffered a seven-wicket defeat to KKR in their final group game of the season.
