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| pix courtesy: thehindu.com |
In all
probability, the 2019 World Cup in England will be the swan song of wicket
keeper M.S. Dhoni. His unceremoniously omission from the Indian T20I team for
the forthcoming series against West Indies and Australia later this year is an
indication that Indian selectors have made up their mind as far as the future
of Dhoni is concerned. Tongues have been wagging since Dhoni was not included
in the two important series ahead of the World Cup. It is not yet clear whether
Dhoni was dropped or rested. Though words have been spread that Dhoni himself
wanted the younger players, specially Rishabh Pant, to be groomed into the
keeper’s role, the selectors’ studied silence is worth many words.
There is no
doubt that Dhoni has lost his Midas touch as a bang-bang hitter and has been
struggling with runs towards the fag end of the innings when the team requires
him to step up the attack. On the contrary, several young cricketers like
Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya have proved their mettle by going the aerial way
neatly in the death overs. Rishabh Pant fits the bill perfectly as he is not
only agile as a wicket-keeper, but has proved himself as a batsman who can
plunder runs against any attack.
Perhaps
Dhoni also realizes that he is not living up to his image as a player who could
contribute with bat besides keeping wickets, giving the selectors the options
to play with an additional bowler. It is because of this fact that he first
recused himself from the Test cricket, solely concentrating on the shorter
versions of the game. But sadly, his famed batting prowess has been a big
let-down. In the last three years, Dhoni has played 62 matches and accumulated
just 1341 runs with one century and 7 fifties. Interestingly, the sole century
and the seven fifties came only last year in 2017 when it appeared that he had
started regaining his form. But 2018 has been an eventless year as Dhoni made
just 275 runs out of 13 innings of the 20 matches that he has played so
far.
There is no
doubt that selectors will have to think beyond Dhoni who has already completed
37 years and it is high time that young players are groomed before India’s most
successful wicket keeper takes a bow. But the selectors will do well to keep
the veteran in the team for the World Cup as his experience itself is something
that can’t be discounted. He is just one run away from reaching a historic
milestone from reaching 10,000 ODI runs, second only to Sri Lanka’s Kumar
Sangakkara in the world. As has often been seen, captain Virat Kohli always
turns to Dhoni when situation seems run out of control. Dhoni is often seen
making small field adjustments while giving directions to bowlers.
Another
reason why Dhoni is an important cog in India’s quest for World Cup is his
sharp eye during DRS reviews. He has been almost accurate as far as taking DRS
reviews is concerned.
At a time
when the team is yet to find a perfect combination with newcomers performing in
patches, Dhoni’s presence itself is a matter of comfort in the dressing room.
With 14 years of experience, Dhoni knows how to conduct himself in varying
situations. Moreover, nobody can doubt his keeping skills as none can match his
agility behind the wickets. India just cannot afford to not have Dhoni in the
World Cup.
