MSK Prasad tells MS Dhoni: Perform or make way for others
Chairman of Selectors MSK Prasad has admitted that MS Dhoni’s future was discussed during the selection meeting to pick India’s squad for the ODI series against Sri Lanka. He also conceded that the selection committee would look for alternatives if the former Indian skipper’s dismal form continues.
MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh’s respective futures in the Indian ODI lineup has been a point of discussion for quite some time now as the duo have struggled for form in the Champions Trophy and also on the tour of the West Indies.
Given this scenario, there was a lot of uncertainty as to whether they would make the squad for the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka, and eventually, when the squads were announced on Sunday it was revealed that Yuvraj had been dropped while Dhoni had been retained. However, MSK Prasad has revealed that the former Indian skipper had only managed to survive the drop by the skin of his teeth and also added that the selection committee would be forced to look for alternatives for the stumper if he does not deliver sooner rather than later.
After explaining Yuvraj Singh's omission, Prasad was asked about Dhoni and he replied, "You have been fair and I will be honest. Discussions happen about everybody. It is not just MS. When we pick, when we talk about combinations, we talk about everybody. You will also see in times to come," reported News 18.
Having said this, Prasad also added that Dhoni was not an automatic selection and would remain in the team as long as he performed well. "You never know. We don't say it is an automatic thing (selection) but we will see. We are all stakeholders. We all want the Indian team to do well. If he is delivering, why not? If he is not, we will have to look at alternatives."
He then drew the Andre Agassi analogy about how some players get better with age and hoped that Dhoni would belong to the same category. "I was just reading Andre Agassi's autobiography 'Open', his life actually started after 30 years. Till then, he won two or three. His actual life started after that. He lived under the media pressure with the question "When are you going to retire?" But he played till 36 and he won so many Grand Slams."