Mahendra Singh Dhoni is yet to come clear on his future, but his former India and Chennai Super Kings teammate Ashish Nehra feels the former captain has already played his last game for India.

The World Cup semi-final versus New Zealand on July 9 last year in Manchester was Dhoni’s last appearance in Team India colours.

“Look, if MS wants to play and is fit, he is still my No. 1 choice for the wicketkeeper’s slot. Knowing MS, I don’t think he will play again for India, but you never know he can still spring another surprise.

“Yes, that he has not announced his retirement is a different issue. But that’s his way of dealing with the situation,” the former India left-arm pacer told The Telegraph on Saturday.

The other day, Harbhajan Singh, a former India and Super Kings teammate of both Dhoni and Nehra, had spoken on similar lines.

“As far as I know him (Dhoni), he won’t want to wear the India blue jersey again. (In the) IPL, he will play but for India, I think he had decided World Cup (2019) was his last,” the off-spinner said during an Instagram chat with Rohit Sharma.

Nehra, though, refuses to believe that Dhoni’s hiatus implies that he has been axed from the Indian team. He feels there’s nothing wrong with Dhoni’s performance, while also pointing out that India have had to do with a makeshift wicketkeeper in the form of K.L. Rahul in white-ball cricket as other ’keeper-batsmen haven’t been able to cement their places in the XI.

“It’s really sad to think or say that MS is dropped… Because he has the performance that’s required to be shown.

“Besides, at No. 5, you have K.L. Rahul playing, not Rishabh Pant or Sanju Samson. People were saying that Pant would put pressure on Dhoni. But while Dhoni is not there, we can’t even see Pant in the picture.

“Pant had been tipped as Dhoni’s alternative,” Nehra pointed out.

He voiced his doubts over the aspect of the ICC contemplating application of external substances on the ball instead of saliva as a precautionary measure in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“As of now, discussions are on. But first, the ICC should say what ball tampering is actually. All this while the ICC said that if you apply wax, vaseline and polish, that’s illegal. In case of saliva you know how the ball will react after its application because it’s natural.

“But what guarantee is there that applying external substances will help the ball swing more? If it doesn’t happen, then we might end up seeing even 800 runs scored frequently,” he said.

Moving on to India’s current fast bowling group, Nehra highlighted the impact the IPL has had as it has also helped to spot young talented quicks.

He cited the instances of Navdeep Saini and Deepak Chahar, underlining how the IPL hastened their inclusion in the India squad for limited-overs cricket.

“Have a look at Navdeep Saini. He certainly did well in the Ranji Trophy, but having impressed for Royal Challengers Bangalore in last year’s IPL helped him earn an India berth quite quickly.

“Someone like Deepak Chahar, who hasn’t done too well in Ranji Trophy, performed for Chennai Super Kings and that made his way into the Indian team smoother. Besides, when I made a comeback later in the team, it was also through IPL,” Nehra emphasised.

Nehra highlighted the expansion of the country’s current pool of pacers, which he feels has been possible mainly due to the IPL as well as the India A matches.

“The number of India A tours for the last seven-eight years and the big difference that the IPL has made are a massive factor. The pool of fast bowlers has expanded and you have five-six of them now at your disposal,” he said.