Dhoni should be allowed to leave on his own terms: Farokh Engineer
Former Indian international Farokh Engineer backed an under-pressure Mahendra Singh Dhoni saying he deserves the opportunity to leave on his own terms. The former wicket-keeper batsman has praised Virat Kohli, but believes it is too early for him to be the captain in all the formats.
Farokh Engineer, one of India's best wicketkeepers of yesteryear, feels Dhoni should not be pushed out of the team. He remarked that the 34-year-old should be allowed the opportunity to leave when he wants to, after the service he has provided to the cricket team over the years.
"Dhoni has done a good job so far. I like him. He reminds me of my younger days. Everyone has his days. He has served the country very well. We shouldn't be too keen on packing him off.
"We should allow Dhoni to decide when he wants to finish," Engineer said while interacting with the media in the Calcutta Sports Journalists' club.
Dhoni's place at the helm has come under a lot of speculation following India's defeat in the T20 and the ODI series against South Africa. Critics have started batting for Virat Kohli, who will lead India in the upcoming test series against the Proteas, to take over the reins in the shorter format of the game as well.
However, Farokh Engineer insists, despite his potential, Kohli still needs a bit of grooming before taking over from Dhoni. "Kohli is a fantastic cricketer and deserves to be captain. But we need to give him time. We also need to persevere the talent we have," the 77-year-old remarked.
When asked whether it is essential for a wicketkeeper to be a good batsman first, the veteran, who appeared in 46 test matches for India, said, “"I think that's a wrong theory. He should be a wicket-keeper first.
"I was a very aggressive player. I would have played a spinner who actually spins the ball (rather than a spinner who is chosen on the basis of his batting)".
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