Final goodbye? MS Dhoni reminisces his early playing days at Eden Gardens – The Times of India

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) stand-in captain MS Dhoni on Wednesday walked down memory lane and hinted this might be his last outing at the iconic Eden Gardens.“Well, I have played a lot of cricket over here growing up in U-16, U-19, and club level,” Dhoni said at the toss ahead of CSK’s clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).“I have already represented the same zone, so it’s like a home ground for me with the amount of cricket I have played here.“As I said, quite a few underage cricket matches, zonal Ranji Trophies, and also a lot of ODIs at this venue. I have played a lot of games not only at the Eden Gardens but also in the surrounding areas.”With CSK already out of the playoffs race, Dhoni explained the reason behind why they are trying new players for this match. CSK have handed a debut to Urvil Patel, who joined the camp a couple of days ago as a replacement for the injured Vans Bedi.“I think what is important is to get answers for next year. You may be caught up saying that we want to win the remaining games of the season, but it’s important for us to look for answers for next season. We are giving a few players chances, but also we want to field a Playing 11 or 12 which is strong for the game,” he said.“In terms of changes, we have made 2 changes. Shaik (Rasheed) and Sam (Curran) make way for Devon Conway and Urvil Patel.”Dhoni also explained when is the right time in the IPL to try out new players.Who’s that IPL player?“When you have qualified with 4 league games to play or when you are out of the competition so early, it gives us an opportunity to try a few players and see what they bring to the table,” he said.On chasing, the former India captain said: “We were 50:50, but I feel that the wicket may slow down a little bit. The dimensions are not that big, but they have two quality spinners which will be challenging for us. I feel it’s a good wicket.”