'I love every second of it', MS Dhoni's brilliant answer to AB de Villiers' question on how long he is going to play

PTI

New Delhi: Every Indian cricket fan is presently wondering how long MS Dhoni is going to play for India. While several greats of the game have had their opnions on the subject, South African star AB de Villiers revealed what did Dhoni tell him when he asked him the same question.

In an interview with The Ring Side View, the former Proteas skipper spoke about his admiration for Dhoni, calling him "one of a kind".

De Villiers opened about a conversation he had with Dhoni during the 2015 World Cup after India defeated South Africa by 130 runs in a group stage encounter betwen the two sides.

"I’ve mentioned it to people before, I’m not sure who, but I don’t know exactly how he does it. Going non-stop day in and day out. I’ve asked him actually after we played in the World Cup of 2015. India beats us at Melbourne. He stood there at the post match presentation. I asked him how long are you gonna do this for. He said 'I love every second of it'," de Villiers told The Ring Side view.

"It was only then I realised he is one of a kind and I’ll always have respect for him for what he has achieved in his career," added AB.

Team India head coach Ravi Shastri also recently spoke about the matter, saying you can never write MS Dhoni off.

"How do you pick players? When they are good, and Dhoni is the best limited-overs' keeper in the country. Forget his batting stats, what else do you want. Just because he has played for so many years, you are thinking about a replacement?"

He also added, "He is the best in the country. Would you look to replace Sunil Gavaskar when he was 36 years old or Sachin Tendulkar when he was 36? Dhoni is still the best in the business, so what is the need to even entertain those thoughts."

De Villiers recently stepped down as captain of South Africa's ODI side but will be available for selection across all formats of the game.

The 33-year-old's recent slump in form prompted speculation that he might retire from one format of the game with the 2019 ICC World Cup in focus. But instead, he only asked Cricket South Africa to relieve him of his duties as Proteas ODI captain.