MS Dhoni’s comeback unlikely having been away from the game for so long, attests Kapil Dev

As the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) draws closer yet another wave of speculations around former skipper MS Dhoni is doing it rounds. Dhoni, who is yet to don the blue jersey since the last six months, will be returning to action in the yellow jersey of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as he leads the side in its 11th season.

Former India skipper Kapil Dev believes that a return for Dhoni won’t be easy having taken a sabbatical from the game for more than six months. Kapil shares that it’s never easy for a player to return after such a long break as he conceded that the former skipper’s outing this season will decide the fate of his international career.

"If you haven't played cricket for so long then I don't think you can come back from anywhere. But he still has IPL, his form there'll be important and selectors should see what is best for the country. Dhoni has done a lot for the country but when you don't play for 6-7 months, you leave a doubt in everyone's mind. And then that creates a lot of discussions which shouldn't happen," Kapil was quoted as saying by ABP News.

India head coach Ravi Shastri had earlier shared that Dhoni’s IPL outing will be a key factor in deciding if the 38-year-old will board the flight to Australia later this year. The emergence of KL Rahul as India’s first choice keeper batsman adds yet another dimension to the whole scenario.