Former India batsman Mohammad Kaif is confident that it won’t be difficult for Mahendra Singh Dhoni to form a comeback within the Indian team despite not having played competitive cricket for nearly a year.

Dhoni played his last game for India within the 2019 World Cup semi-final loss in July and has been out of action since then. The veteran wicketkeeper-batsman was expected to form a comeback during the 2020 Indian Premier League before the T20 tournament was indefinitely postponed as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

Dhoni is such an enormous player, he’s a correct match-winner who knows the way to play struggling at numbers 6 and seven and he’s absolutely fit. So in my mind, Dhoni is that the favorite player. Regardless of how many players come, you can’t replace Mahendra Singh Dhoni, because I feel that if you remove someone, then another player should be ready.

Kaif also felt that the Indian team has not been ready to fill Dhoni’s void despite giving opportunities to several players. Rishabh Pant was touted as Dhoni’s successor but after failing to impress, KL Rahul emerged as an alternate for India within the limited-overs format. I don’t think KL Rahul may be a long-term option. He should be the back-up wicket-keeper; if a keeper gets injured then Rahul should keep wickets. So you’ve got to groom another keeper.