Dale ‘Steyn’ gun looks barrel down the tunnel to find MS Dhoni

And, that is exactly where the Indian Premier League was going to be crucial. It had the potential to change lives and it still does. Several players, if not all, are putting their money on the IPL horse to make themselves ready for the International reckoning. One is 36 and the other edging towards 39 yet they remain at the top of their mark in franchise cricket. It took the South African Steyn just one league - the Big Bash League, where his performance earned him a place in the national side. And, it was not just some opposition, it was against England. In East London, he picked up one wicket of Jos Buttler in a game that was dominated by Lungi Ngidi and Beuran Hendricks. 

If that was suggestive of anything - it was that Steyn’s international career was at the risk of being cut short and his World Cup place still a hanging question mark. So it continued on throughout the series, with Steyn conceding 41 runs in the next encounter at the Centurion without any wicket. Yet, South Africa persisted with the warrior - one that was capable of picking a wicket any over, any time of the day. 

But, remember after that game, he was mysteriously ‘rested,’ as per skipper Quinton de Kock. For anyone who has even glanced an eye on the game will know that this is the worst lie in modern-day cricket. To be rested in modern-day during a must-series for World Cup preparatory, it was the worst thing that could have happened to Steyn. Considering that Steyn’s history is no more a secret, his come back lasted short, or in simple terms - three T20I games. On the other hand, there is MS Dhoni, who has last played in the national jersey in India’s World Cup semi-final exit against New Zealand. Since then, there has been no trace of Dhoni on the cricket pitch while several times being seen at the sidelines on various occasions. His return, much like Steyn was marked with the IPL. 

Both of their absence has certainly impacted them in the recent past but it gave them the chance to make a team from elsewhere. While South Africa have made Kagiso Rabada their pace-leader, he is well supported by the likes of Beuran Hendricks and Lungi Ngidi. And, talking about replacing Dhoni, India have done a pretty good job in T20Is with KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant. And, both of them, have managed to do well in the time away from these stars. Come this October, two stalwarts of India and South Africa will not be there present. However, Steyn’s position for South Africa is far better than Dhoni’s for Dhoni might have played his last game for India while both of them still were stuck in the same dark 'barrel.'