Kevin Pietersen has expressed concerns over MS Dhoni's mindset as the CSK captain makes a return after a long break.
After over a year since he last took the field, Mahendra Singh Dhoni will make a comeback to cricket action when he dons the Chennai Super Kings jersey in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League.
Dhoni will also grab many eyeballs as he announced his international retirement last month. The Indian Premier League is now the only tournament where Dhoni will continue to play.
Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen, however, has said that he has concerns over Dhoni's form and mindset as he returns to cricket action after a significantly long break.
‘I know how passionate he is, how dedicated he is and how much he loves the Chennai Super Kings. But, after this long break from cricket, and everything that’s been associated with it, it’s difficult to know how he will be feeling," Pietersen told Betway.
"It might have refreshed him and set him up positively, or it might have had a negative influence on his game. I don’t think it will be somewhere between the two."
The former English batsman also raised his doubts over whether Dhoni will continue to play the IPL after this season. "Will this be his last IPL? And how is he going to go out if it is?" Pietersen said.
"Maybe he can play for a few more years, but it’s something we’ll have to watch out for over the next few months."
While Pietersen insists that Dhoni's abilities as captain will remain unhampered with these factors, his mindset as the finisher for CSK will be "interesting to find out."
"Whatever his thoughts are about the future, I know they won’t affect his captaincy. He’s a pretty cool guy, very unassuming and he enjoys going under the radar," said the former England cricketer.
"Whether he can still produce those performances as the match-winner, the finisher, for CSK will be very interesting to find out."
MS Dhoni will return to action on the opening day of IPL 2020 when CSK takes on Rohit Sharma's Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi.
