Kohli should replace Dhoni as captain in ODI, T20s also, feels Ravi Shastri
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Ravi Shastri, former Director for the Indian cricket team, feels that the time has come to make Virat Kohli the skipper in all the three formats. Shastri feels that the selectors should take this call with the 2019 World Cup in mind, and that this will also allow MS Dhoni to enjoy his game.
When asked whether Kohli is ready to lead in all the formats, Shastri said, "If I am the chairman of selectors, I would be thinking in that fashion, absolutely. It is time to start thinking. You have to see India has no major event in three years till 2019 World Cup. This is your best chance to think and build," to PTI.
The former Indian international feels that Dhoni still has a lot left to contribute as a player, and that relieving him from the captaincy will help him in enjoying his game a bit more at this stage of his career.
"By no stretch of imagination, you are taking anything away from MS. He can still contribute massively as a player. Time has come to allow him to enjoy himself, enjoy the game. It also depends on how much hungry MS is, how passionate he is, whether the juices are still flowing. It's a Catch-22 situation but you have to take hard decisions," Shastri told PTI.
Shastri feels that the Indian selectors should take a cue from the Australians, who have groomed captains over a long period of time.
"A time has come where you have a guy you have groomed over a period of time, who is ready. In the next 18 months, India hardly play any ODIs, the gaps between Tests and ODIs are massive. So its time to look ahead.
"Mark Taylor was a great captain but they started to groom Steve Waugh. Just when you thought that Waugh was firmly there, in came Ricky Ponting and then Michael Clarke, the best captain after Mark Taylor. And now you have Steve Smith.," he concluded.
