MS Dhoni still has cricket left in him, he is batting brilliantly, says Suresh Raina

Former India middle-order batsman Suresh Raina on Tuesday (April 14) said that Mahendra Singh Dhoni was busy in bringing changes in his batting style during the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) camp which was called off suddenly due to the spread of coronavirus COVID-19.

Speculations are rife over the future of former India skipper if the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 gets cancelled due to the extension of coronavirus lockdown till May 3.
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“He was batting really well. Cricket is still left in him. He has looked innovative. We played practice games and those sixes are as big as they were. Three hours of batting in the evening, that too, in Chennai heat is not easy and we did that (during the camp). If you ask me, Mahi bhai is batting brilliantly,” Raina said in an Instagram Live session.

“His body is not showing signs of ageing. He was looking different and was trying to do something else, something different, new. So people will get to know when they see him,” added Raina.

It may be recalled that Raina was an important part of the team which won the 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy under Dhoni`s leadership.

Talking about his own future, Raina expressed confidence of making a comeback in the T20 team ahead of the World Cup, scheduled to held in October. Raina, 33, also hit out at the selectors for failing to give any concrete reason as to why he was axed from the national side after the England tour in 2018.

“I have played for 14-15 years. Under Mahi bhai then dada (Sourav Ganguly)..they always used to tell me what was wrong. Virat (Kohli) also does that but the selectors don`t all the time. They should have taken more responsibility (when dealing with) senior players. You need to know the reason why you are not batting in nets one fine morning. Someone has to give us detail where to bat, what to do?” said Raina, who has represented India in 18 Tests, 226 ODIs and 78 T20s.

Raina also lauded young wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant and said, “Rishabh Pant is very talented. Someone has to step up and guide him. When I used to play, Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh) paa used to tell me you make mistakes and we will guide you. So Rishabh should be backed. He has hundreds abroad and he is not a fluke player. Somewhere I think he is not getting confidence..he is missing something.”