India opener KL Rahul feels the legendary MS Dhoni, who is with the Indian side as a mentor for the T20 World Cup, can give any of the cricketers a run for their money. Rahul said that despite being on the other side of 40, the former skipper can hit the farthest sixes beating some of the muscular youngsters.

Dhoni has recently led Chennai Super Kings to a fourth IPL title and there is a chance that he would come back one last time in 2022 and play in front of his home crowd at the Chepauk.

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“None of us are sure that IPL 2021 final was his last game,” Rahul said during a Clubhouse session on 10 years of Red Bull Campus Cricket.

“I think Dhoni can give any of us stiff competition, he definitely is a guy who can hit the ball farthest, he is very strong and he is good (while running) between the wickets. He looks the fittest, it is good fun to have him,” Rahul added.

Rahul, who is all set to open with Rohit Sharma in the T20 World Cup where India will start against Pakistan on Sunday, said that there couldn’t have been a better “mentor” than Dhoni in what promises to be a tough journey.

“Obviously, MS Dhoni (being) back with the team feels amazing because we have played under him and we have looked towards him as a mentor even when he was our captain,” he said.

The attacking right-hander who scored a scintillating fifty against England in India’s first warm-up match said Dhoni’s presence in the dressing room gives the entire team a sense of calmness.

“We loved having him in the dressing room when he was the captain. We loved the calmness. We have all looked up to him to help us out, to have him here is amazing.

“This gives us a sense of calmness, I have enjoyed spending time with him in the first two to three days and it has been a lot of fun. Looking forward to chewing his brain about cricket, captaincy and all things cricket,” he added.

Rahul has been one of the most consistent T20 performers for India with astounding figures of 659, 593, 670, 626 in last four editions of IPL. He feels the IPL performance will give him confidence going into the World Cup.

“Playing consistently has helped me. The six-seven IPL games have helped us adapt to the conditions. The experience of playing in UAE last year helped me know what shots to play and will put me in good stead in preparing for the upcoming World Cup,” said the opener.

(With PTI inputs)