ICC World Cup 2019 | MS Dhoni will be a big player in this World Cup, claims Ravi Shastri

ICC World Cup 2019 | MS Dhoni will be a big player in this World Cup, claims Ravi Shastri

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India coach Ravi Shastri claims that former World Cup winning captain MS Dhoni will have a huge role to play for the men in blue in the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup which starts on May 30. Shastri added that the quality of opponents along with the change in format will also be a huge challenge.

India will enter the ICC World Cup 2019 as ā€˜favoritesā€™ alongside hostsā€™ England and defending champions Australia after enjoying a successful 2018 season on the international stage. The likes of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Jasprit Bumrah have been in fine form in recent months which will only boost the morale in the Indian dressing room as they enter the final week before the start of the competition.

But former India batsman and current national head coach, Ravi Shastri, is of the opinion that former World Cup winning skipper MS Dhoni will have a huge role to play if India want to enter theĀ knockout stages of the tournament.

ā€œMassive as it has always been. He is right there! His communication has been fantastic. As a keeper, he has shown over the years that no one is better than him in this format, not just in taking catches, inflicting those run-outs or stumping, these are little moments in the game which can change it on the head and there was no one better than him.

ā€œIt is great to see the way he was moving in the IPL especially when he was batting, the footwork, the power with which he was hitting the shots, he will be a big player in this World Cup,ā€ Shastri said at the teamā€™s pre-departure press conference report Cricket County.

The CSK captain, who will be participating in his fourth World Cup, scored a total of 416 runs at an average of 83.2 in the recently concluded season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2019) where his team lost to Mumbai Indians in the final by a run.

Shastri, who represented India in 150 ODIs and scored 3108 runs, also added that the ICC World Cup 2019 will be tougher than the previous editions of the tournament due to a change in format and the improved quality of all the teams involved in the competition.

ā€œIt will be very challenging. If you look at 2014 and 2019 now, the gap has become closer between the teams. You see what Afghanistan, Bangladesh were in 2014 and what they are now, so it is a strong competition. West Indies, on paper, is as strong as any other team,ā€ Shastri added.

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