MS Dhoni Nearing IPL Return, Says CSK Coach Hussey

Dhoni, 42, has been sidelined for three weeks due to the calf injury sustained ahead of the season and in his recovery, a lot of work has been put in on his speed while running between the wickets. "Hopefully he'll be back as soon as possible. I don't know if it's tomorrow or it's maybe the next match after that, but he's progressing really well.

"I know he's been upping his running speeds and that was probably the sticking point. I think we're very confident from a skill perspective with his batting and his wicketkeeping.

"But it was just making sure that he could maintain good running power, particularly towards the back end of an inning where he's going to have to scan for those ones and twos. So as soon as he's got the confidence in his calf, then I'm sure he'll give it the tick to ready to go," Hussey said in the pre-match press conference, ahead of their clash against Mumbai Indians at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday.

The final decision to play, Hussey stressed, rests with Dhoni himself. "Once he feels confident in his calf, I'm sure he'll give the signal that he's ready to go. At the moment, we're guided by him. We're waiting. I think all of Chennai is waiting."

Dhoni hasn't been spotted on match days in CSK's dugout, with Hussey revealing that the wicketkeeper-batter has chosen not to attend to avoid distractions. Some IPL teams do leave their players in the hotel, as rules allow for only 18-20 players to be present in the dressing room.

"He's such a team-orientated guy, MS Dhoni. He always wants what's best for the team and he was worried that if he came, there'd be a bit too much of a distraction. Obviously, the cameras would be on him a lot. The crowd would be cheering for him and things like that.

"He really wanted the team to just be able to go about their job, do our thing. Whether that's right or wrong, that's not my decision to sort of make, but that's the thinking behind with Dhoni not wanting to come to the matches. Obviously, he's been watching very closely back home.

"I personally love having him around the dressing room. He offers so much wisdom and confidence to the rest of the guys. So he's obviously at training all the time and always a bubbly personality around training and offers a lot of his experience to the players there. But it was just a case he didn't want to see himself as a distraction to the rest of the team and that's why he decided on game day just to sort of stay away," concluded Hussey.

- IANS