MS Dhoni’s childhood coach Keshav Banerjee urged the India star’s fans not to believe in rumours on social media, saying his ward will step away when he feels the time is right.
MS Dhoni’s childhood coach Keshav Banerjee reacts to #DhoniRetires rumours on social media (Getty Images)
HIGHLIGHTS
- MS Dhoni’s childhood coach has reacted to #DhoniRetires trend on Twitter
- Dhoni is not the kind of person who will call up people and tell them ‘I am retiring’: Banerjee
- He can play the T20 World Cup even if it is postponed: Banerjee
MS Dhoni’s childhood coach Keshav Banerjee said the World Cup-winning captain knows when to retire and urged his fans not to believe rumours on social media.
Keshav Banerjee, who worked with Dhoni during his childhood in Ranchi, said Dhoni is fit enough to play international cricket and that his ward will play the T20 World Cup even if it is postponed to 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Banerjee’s comments come after rumours of Dhoni retiring spread like wildfire on social media on Wednesday. #DhoniRetires was among the top trends on Twitter India throughout the evening.
“You don’t go by social media. There are many things that become ‘trends’ but end up as fake news. I don’t know why people are after Dhoni. I know him well and I can tell you, he will let all of us know when he thinks he has to retire,” Banerjee was quoted as saying by IANS news agency.
“Dhoni is not the kind of person who will call up people and tell them ‘I am retiring’. He knows how to do it.
“When he feels it is time, he will inform BCCI and call a proper press conference and do all the things that need to be done. Like he did when he called time on his Test career.
“You will get to see in the IPL how fit Dhoni still is. He can play the T20 World Cup even if it is postponed. Even if it happens next year.”
Speculations about MS Dhoni’s future are rife and social media rumours about his future in international cricket has become commonplace in the recent past.
Notably, Dhoni’s wife Sakshi Singh rubbished the rumours, responding to #DhoniRetires with a sharp reply.
“Its only rumours ! I understand Lockdown has made people mentally unstable ! #DhoniRetires .. Get a life ! (sic),” Sakshi Singh wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
Minutes after the tweet went viral, Sakshi deleted her post.
Dhoni has not played competitive cricket since India’s World Cup 2019 exit in July last year. Dhoni missed several series, including the high-profile tour of New Zeealand earlier this year, as he took a sabbatical from international cricket.
Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 was seen as a possible way back to the Indian team for Dhoni but the 13th edition of the T20 tournament has been suspended until further notice due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Even as the Indian team management did not rule out chances of his comeback, Dhoni geared up for IPL 2020. He attended a training camp in Chennai in March before it was suspended due to the pandemic.
