Wicketkeepers have found it difficult to thrive amid the aura of MS Dhoni. From the start of this century until Dhoni debut in 2004, India had tried 10 different wicketkeepers with Rahul Dravid being the only one to have played more than 50 matches across formats as a designated wicketkeeper. But since December 2004, there has been only one man behind the stumps for India, without the team management never having dropped Dhoni. Although there were backups, they only found a spot when Dhoni was injured or opted to rest.

Now imagine how difficult it must have been for KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, who had filled in the spot for Dhoni after he had taken a sabbatical post World Cup 2019. Knowing that Dhoni would have, without an iota of doubt, taken his spot in the T20 World Cup squad had things been normal, despite all their strength must have given them a hard time. Hence when Dean Jones tweeted, "After MS Dhoni retirement yesterday... I bet you KL Rahul and R Pant slept well last night!!" after Dhoni's international retirement last Saturday, he might not have been wrong.
While the pandemic has been tough for most sportspersons across the globe, it has been a blessing in disguise for Rahul and Pant. Owing to the disruption it has caused to the cricket calendar, it has in someways urged Dhoni to take the big call. Moreover, weeks ahead, ICC had postponed this year's World T20 to next year. Hence a big sigh of relief for the two.