Kris Srikkanth explodes over MS Dhoni's 'mess up'; says he must 'accept and walk away' from IPL: 'Can't expect much'
Former India cricketer Kris Srikkanth issued an ultimatum to Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni, saying he should accept his struggles and "walk away" from the IPL if he feels he can no longer match the franchise's demands. Srikkanth's comment came after Chennai suffered their 10th loss in the ongoing season and now stand on the verge of finishing with the wooden spoon for the first time in IPL history.
Barring the 26-run show against Lucknow Super Giants, that earned him the Player of the Match award, Dhoni has fairly struggled with the bat this season. It was largely on display during the game against the Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday in Delhi, where he scored just 16 off 17 as Chennai failed to capitalise on the strong start and succumbed to a six-wicket loss.
On his YouTube channel, Srikkanth urged Dhoni to "stop messing it up" for CSK and accept the harsh reality. The 1983 World Cup-winning player wants the 43-year-old to take a call on his future amid his fitness struggle, which has significantly impacted his reflexes.
He said: "Dhoni is also ageing, you can't expect too much from him. But at the same time, you can't keep coming and messing it up, if you are not able to do it, say you're not able to do it and walk away. That's a call Dhoni can only take. Whether he will continue, if he continues, then in what role: captain, wicket keeper or finisher? In all fairness, his reflexes has gone down. His knees might have given up, his fitness, reflex level, everything will obviously come down. And moreover, the top order is flopping."
Srikkanth further reckoned that Dhoni's inability to emulate his vintage self has largely affected Chennai, who were the first team to get eliminate from the race to the playoffs.
"The problem with CSK today is that Dhoni is not able to replicate his own game. Spinners are tying him down. Once, he used to hit off spinners 10 rows into the stands. In all fairness, he is struggling," Srikkanth added.
Chennai will play their final game against the Gujarat Titans on May 25 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
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