Dhoni can continue to captain India if he wants to, because he's earned that right: Michael Clarke
Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has jumped to the defence of under-fire Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Clarke insisted that the wicket-keeper batsman has earned the right to continue captaining his side, despite the recent run of results.
“Dhoni has done a wonderful job for India in all formats. He has a lot to offer to the Indian team. His captaincy has been very good throughout his career and he's played a big part in helping India having sustained success over a long period of time. I'm sure he feels disappointed about not being able to win this series, but I still think MS has a lot to offer as a captain and player,” Clarke was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
Dhoni's captaincy has come under a lot of criticism following the 1-4 defeat in the ODI series against Australia. In fact, the last time India won an ODI series under the captaincy of MSD was back in October 2014 against West Indies, when the visitors boycotted the fifth ODI, at home.
Clarke's comments come after former Australian great Ian Chappell said that Dhoni has overstayed his time as a captain. However, the 34-year-old, who retired from all forms of cricket last year, feels that the Ranchi-born cricketer still has a lot to offer.
“I think Dhoni has a lot of cricket left in him. He can continue to captain India if he wants to because he's earned that right. And I think you know when the right time is to go...I think you've missed Shami for sure in this series. Australia has probably scored that 20 or 30 runs extra every time. 99% of the time, MS Dhoni walks out to bat with five overs or 10 overs...he's unbelievable. I don't think we can be too hard on the bowlers. I certainly don't think we can be too hard on Dhoni and the Indian team,” he added.