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MS Dhoni Offered THIS Cricketer Chance to Return to Tests but He Said No; Later Regretted It

MENSXP February 04, 2025 06:39 PM

MS Dhoni’s reign as skipper was without a doubt a golden period for Indian cricket. He led the side across formats from 2007 to 2016. Under him, we won the T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup and Champions Trophy. India also became No. 1 in Tests for the first time ever, a position they held for nearly two years.

When it comes to Test cricket specifically, Dhoni was at the helm from 2008 to 2014. He took over after Anil Kumble retired due to an injury as his recovery at the age of 38 would take time. The highlight of his Test leadership was winning a series in New Zealand after over four decades and also winning a Test on South African soil. He was also captain during Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell series vs West Indies and the whitewashing of Australia at home earlier that year.

One man Dhoni wanted back in the Test team after a hiatus of five years was a left-arm pacer whose fitness issues were the reason he was in and out of the side. He had not played a Test since 2004 and in 2009 Dhoni offered him a chance to make a comeback. We are talking of none other than Ashish Nehra. Nehra however declined his offer as he was still injury prone and felt he did not fit in with the new make-up of the team. Nehra did make his international comeback that year, having not been on national duty since 2005. He was part of the squad that lifted the ODI World Cup in 2011. In 2017, he played his last international game for India.

"I didn't play for India between 2005 and 2009. A lot had changed in Indian cricket in that time. When I made a comeback, Dhoni was leading India. However, it was not that we were not on talking terms during that period. Dhoni had offered me Test cricket again in 2009, which I declined. Looking back, I do regret that decision a bit", he told the Times of India some years back.

Nehra never played a Test with or under Dhoni. But he did play under Dhoni in the IPL when he was roped in by CSK. Of course, he was a regular in the other two formats when Dhoni was the leader. His last game of course was under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. Kohli had taken over the Test captaincy in 2014 and the remaining formats in 2017.

The left-armer played just 17 Tests over a period of five years. He took 44 wickets. Despite an early debut at 19, Nehra never played Test cricket after the age of 24. His injury problems kept him out more often than not. His last Test appearance was India’s match and series-winning effort in Rawalpindi vs Pakistan in 2004, when Dhoni was yet to enter international cricket. A talent that never grew in the longest format due to fitness issues. Would things have been different if he had made a comeback under Dhoni? We shall never know!