Dhoni still has cricket left in him Says, Raina

MS Dhoni - Suresh Raina

Veteran India batsman Suresh Raina said on Tuesday that MS Dhoni was attempting to experiment a number when batting during the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) camp that was scrapped halfway because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There's been a lot of speculation over the prospects of Dhoni because the Indian Premier League (IPL) finally doesn't see the light of day owing to the lockdown being prolonged until May 3.

"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 aging. He was looking different and was trying to do something else, something different, new. So people will get to know when they see him," said Raina who won the 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy under Dhoni's leadership. Raina has claimed he's also looking forward to a return in the T20 squad ahead of the World Cup scheduled for October. The 33-year-old further blamed the selectors for not offering ample explanation as to why he was dismissed after the 2018 England tour.

"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 were to bat, what to do?" said Raina who has played 18 Tests, 226 ODIS and 78 T20s for India. Putting his weight behind young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, Raina said he is lacking in confidence at the moment and seniors need to guide him. "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," he said.