Australia and Punjab Kings (PBKS) all-rounder Marcus Stoinis seeks longevity and inspiration from Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star MS Dhoni. Stoinis, who recently retired from ODIs but is available to play T20Is for Australia, wants to push boundaries and aim to play even after crossing 40 years of age. Not only Dhoni, but the Aussie all-rounder is also drawing inspiration from South African stalwart Faf du Plessis. The former RCB captain, who turned 40 last year, is still fit and runs like a 20-year-old on the field.
As far as Stoinis retirement from ODIs was concerned, the cricketing world were a bit taken aback by his sudden decision to call it quits in 50-over cricket. However, Stoinis was pretty clear about his plans. The 35-year-old wants to play in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where cricket will be played in a T20 format.
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"Yeah, absolutely. I still am going to be available playing international cricket for Australia in the T20 format. It was just a decision to step away from one-day cricket, which, look, with the one-day World Cup still quite a distance away (2027)," said Stoinis to PTI when asked if he has made peace with his decision.
"I'm a competitor, and I want to be playing for as long as I can. And I think that decision allows me to have more longevity and play rather than trying to squeeze everything into my calendar.
Marcus Stoinis wants to emulate MS Dhoni & Faf du Plessis for a long career
Dhoni, who did a stumping in just 0.12 seconds, and can still give a ball a real whack at 43 years of age, & Du Plessis who can still pull off blinders in the field are the two cricketers Stoinis wants to draw inspiration from.
"I really enjoy the cricket side of things, but I also enjoy the lifestyle of being healthy, being ready to go. Someone like Faf Du Plessis, you see him at 40. He's in as good a shape as ever.
"His energy is high as ever. I mean, that's a nice blueprint for me, I think. And we're probably pretty similar like that. So, that's where I see my career. We're in a great era to be able to play longer.
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"Even guys like MS...(in) especially T20 that we thought maybe in the past was a young person's game. It's shown that the experience, the calm head, all that sort of stuff." Stoinis is excited by the prospect of a long career.
Stoinis, who will turn for PBKS will be aiming to have a great IPL 2025 season for his new franchise. The Shreyas Iyer-led PBKS will start their campaign against Gujarat Titans (GT) today at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
