Do selectors see Dhoni as Indian captain 3-4 years down the line? - asks Ganguly

05/10/2016

Never one to mince words, Sourav Ganguly has raised questions about the wisdom of continuing with M S Dhoni at the helm of the Indian cricket team. However, he was quick to quell any queries on MSD's retirement, saying Dhoni needs to keep playing international cricket and that India “need him”.

Speaking to India Today, the ex-India captain said, "Every cricket team in the world plans their future. But my question to the selectors is three-fours years down the line, do they see MS Dhoni as captain of India?".

"Dhoni has been fantastic in the way he has gone about his job as captain, but does he have the ability in next four years to see India into the World Cup in 2019," he added.

However, Ganguly was quick to point out that he was only questioning the long-term wisdom in having Dhoni at the helm. Dada was of the opinion that Indian cricket “need him”, and he insisted Dhoni should continue to contribute to the team.

"I am not saying he needs to quit cricket, I feel he should continue to play in the shorter formats of the game. India still need him in the limited-overs cricket," Ganguly concluded.

MSD has been captaining India across formats, and with him already 34 years old, Ganguly feels it may be the right time to pass the baton to Virat Kohli.

"Dhoni has been captain for nine years, which is a long period. Does he have it in him to go for another four years? He has already given up Test cricket and now plays only ODIs and T20s," he told India Today.

Arguably India's greatest Test captain, Ganguly went on to praise current Test captain Virat Kohli for his consistency and captaincy record so far.

"Virat Kohli is getting better every time. He is probably the best in the world in terms of consistency. His mental energy, tenacity is unreal. His attitude on the field is superb. His record as Test captain has been good.

"So the selectors need to find an answer to whether they see Dhoni leading India in 2019? If the answer is no, then find a new captain. If the answer is yes, which I will find very very surprising, Dhoni continues," he told India Today.

Kohli took over from Dhoni after a tumultuous stewardship by Dhoni that saw India gather up an abysmal overseas record. Taking over in the middle of the Australia tour in January last year, Kohli took India to a draw in the match with a century in his very first match as full-time captain.

In conclusion, Ganguly reserved praise for Dhoni as one of India's greatest captains but insisted that the change needs to happen. "Decision on appointing Kohli as captain should go in terms of where MS goes from here? There's no disregard to him, he's been one of the greatest captains of the country," he concluded.