MS Dhoni calls India's T20 squad ‘dangerous’, backs Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma for ODI World Cup

MS Dhoni opens up rarely. And that rare moment came earlier this week when the former Indian captain spoke about India’s chances at the T20 World Cup. Dhoni also gave his opinion on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s chances for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Speaking at an event, the video of which is on cricket commentator Jatin Sapru’s official YouTube channel, ‘Captain Cool’ called India “one of the most dangerous teams” for the T20 World Cup.

MS Dhoni praised Team India’s “vast experience” in the shortest format of the game.

But, something worries ‘Captain Cool’…

Dew can change the course of any game. And Dhoni is not oblivious to the fact.

Dhoni said, “What worries me, again, I hate dew. Dew changes a lot of things. So, even when I was playing, something that really scares me was the dew, where toss becomes crucial and all of that.”

RoKo for the 2027 ODI World Cup?

The next ODI World Cup is just another year away. And Dhoni believes “age is not a criteria” when it comes to analysing ODI stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

Following their retirements from Test cricket in May last year, there is a lot of scrutiny over Rohit and Virat in every match they play, given the lack of ODIs in a calendar year as years progress and the big gaps between the series they feature in, making it important for them to play domestic cricket to keep their rhythm and match-readiness in check.

Dhoni said, “Why not? (on Rohit and Virat playing the ODI World Cup 2027). The thing is, why somebody should not play the next World Cup? You know, for me, age is not a criteria. Performance, fitness, these are the criteria. So I always feel nobody should be told anything. But the thing that should be made clear is that everyone will be treated the same way. When I was when I made my debut, I was 24. So nobody came and told me anything. So now if I am playing for India for one year, two years, ten years, twenty years, whatever, nobody needs to come and tell me about my age. Is age a factor? No.”

And what about fitness?

Fitness plays a big role in international cricket and Dhoni knows that after spending two decades on the international circuit. MSD said, “Fitness is a factor. Even if you are 22 and if you are not fit, you know then you have to be fit there criteria of playing international cricket. The whole thing is just because somebody is in their 30s, whether they can play or cannot play the next World Cup, it is not for us to decide. It is for them to decide. If they keep performing, if they have the urge to do well for the country, then why not? How do you get experienced people? You cannot get a 20-year-old who's experienced unless it is Sachin Tendulkar, who started playing at age 16 or 17. This is the way you can gain experience.”

A celebrated career…

'Thala', as he is known lovingly known by his millions of fans, knows plenty about collecting trophies, having won the 2007 T20 World Cup, the inaugural edition, the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup on home soil and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. And his five IPL titles and two Champions League T20 titles for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) make him one of the finest leaders in cricket.

Dhoni's ‘cool and calm’ leadership is also visible in Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy, who has given his players ample freedom to express themselves as brutal six-hitting machines and has shown few signs of panic so far, even in dire situations or after losses. The results are there to see for all. India has not lost a series since their last T20 WC in 2024 and has won 31 of their 41 T20Is, losing just six, with two ending in no result or ties.

(With inputs from ANI)