Dhoni’s experience in taking decisions makes him ideal for deciding when to retire, feels Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan has commented that MS Dhoni should be allowed to decide on his own retirement as he has had the experience that is necessary to make such calls. Dhawan, who began his career under the leadership of Dhoni, believes in his former skipper to make the right call.
Ever since the end of the World Cup, many within the cricketing community have wondered about the retirement plans of MS Dhoni. Dhoni so far has decided to remain silent on the matter, instead choosing to spend some time with his unit in the army. According to Dhawan, Dhoni is good at reading players and is adept at understanding their strengths and weaknesses which makes him a valuable commodity.
“Dhoni has been playing for so long, I feel he understands when he should retire. This should be his decision. He has taken very important decisions so far for India in his career and I'm sure he will make the call when the time come," Dhawan said on TV show Aap ki Adalat.
"That's the quality of a big leader. He knows the potential of every player, and knows to what extent a player should be backed. He knows how to make a champion out of a player. India's success during his captaincy justifies this. His (Dhoni's) control is his biggest quality," Dhawan said.
Dhawan also feels that Dhoni is respected highly by most of the Indian team, including Virat Kohli, who turned into a world-class cricketer under Dhoni’s tutelage. This camaraderie between Dhoni and Kohli was seen during the World Cup, where Dhoni was playing the role of a senior cricketer, advising Kohli regarding matters on the field.
"Dhoni bhai has been quite successful as the captain of the the side. We are all very grateful to him and we respect him a lot, and the same goes for Virat. When Virat was young, he guided him immensely. Even when he became the captain, Dhoni bhai was always there to help him. This is the quality of a leader. It's good to see that Virat is showing his gratitude to him now."
Dhawan also backed Rishabh Pant to come through for the team, comparing his own struggles to that of the southpaw, during the initial part of his career.
"Rishabh is very talented and I am sure he will have a long career for India. He is trying hard. There are situations when you don't score, but then you learn from them. It happens with everyone and I'm sure he will learn from it. He is a good player and we need to back good players. Even I went through rough patches in my life, and I still do. It is part and parcel of this game.”
