Speaking at the launch of his app in Mumbai, Dhoni said, “I’ve retired [from all cricket but the IPL] since 2019, so it will be quite some time. What I’ve been doing in the meantime is just wanting to enjoy cricket for the last whatever few years I will be able to play.

“I want to enjoy it how I did as a child when I was in school. When I lived in a colony, 4pm was sports time, so we’d go and play cricket more often than not. But if the weather doesn’t permit, we used to play football. I want to play with the same kind of innocence… easier said than done.”

Dhoni was retained by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the latest IPL auction, but as an uncapped Indian player – using a rule that says players who haven’t played international cricket for five years can be considered in the uncapped category.