Mumbai: Mahendra Singh Dhoni is arguably India’s best bet for the upcoming cricket world cup in England. The stumper-batsman who led India’s world cup victory in 2011 is, however, not in the pink of his health.
Fans have been left worried even since Mahi revealed he was suffering from niggling back pain. The Chennai Super Kings skipper missed last week’s defeat by Sunrisers Hyderabad due to back spasm.
And now, the 37-year-old has said he will not hesitate to take time off before World Cup if the problem worsens during the ongoing IPL. He is unwilling to risk a serious injury that could rule him out of the world cup beginning May 30.
“It’s holding up, it’s not showing signs of getting worse. With the World Cup coming up, I have to keep in mind that I can’t really get injured,” Dhoni was quoted as saying by Reuters.
“There’s a bit of stiffness. There was a bit of spasm at the start of the tournament, but there’s no spasm as of now. I’m used to playing international cricket with some kind of pain.
“If you wait to be 100 per cent before you play a game maybe you’d have to wait five years before you play the next game. It’s something I can afford to do. If it gets worse, I’ll definitely take some time off.”
Dhoni has played 341 one-day internationals, scoring 10,500 runs at an average of just under 51, and his glovework makes him the first-choice wicketkeeper in the limited-overs format.
India’s 2011 World Cup-winning captain has scored over 300 runs in nine ODIs this year, with four half-centuries, including three in a row during the tour of Australia.
The IPL ends on May 12. India begin their World Cup campaign against South Africa in Southampton on June 5.
