Still don’t have a replacement for MS Dhoni, claims national selector
A national selector has stated that they can’t ignore MS Dhoni considering they are yet to find a suitable replacement for him, highlighting he is still on a sabbatical. He further said that Dhoni hasn’t hung up his boots yet to allow the selectors some time before heaping praise on the veteran.
After MS Dhoni was not picked for the home T20 series against South Africa scheduled to begin next month, many questioned whether this the end of his playing days for the Men in Blue. However, an Indian selector has outright denied such claims, going so far as to say that the 38-year-old is still ploughing on just give the country enough time to find a worthy replacement of his in Rishabh Pant’s absence.
"There is no question of ignoring him. On the contrary, he has given us time to go ahead and plan the future keeping an eye on the World T20 next year. He realises that the team comes before public opinion and considering the fact that we still don't have a genuine replacement if Rishabh Pant gets injured in the shorter format, Dhoni has agreed to hold on,” the selector was quoted saying by TOI.
The veteran had taken a two month break from the game to serve his regiment in the Indian Army which had caused him to miss out on the Carribean tour and has now seen his exclusion from the squad to face the Proteas.
“Also just prior to the West Indies tour he took a two-month sabbatical I am sure we are
all good with your maths,” the selector added.
The wicket keeper batsman has reached the twilight of his career and may draw the curtains soon on what has been one of the most successful cricketing careers in the country’s vast history. However, any such conversation is yet to take place and the selectors are still unaware of what Dhoni has in mind for the future.
"No. We are yet to sit down with him and talk about the roadmap ahead and that is why he has given us some time to chalk out our plans and look at the options that we have at our disposal. Life beyond Dhoni isn't something that looks too bright if Pant is injured for some reason or has to miss the World T20,” the selector said.
Many believed Dhoni had an underwhelming World Cup and was responsible for India’s exit with his best already in the past, with appeals that it’s time for him to hang up his boots. The selector though shares a starkly different viewpoint, as he highlighted what Dhoni means to the team.
"Is this the perspective of the fans? The team management clearly knows what he brings to the
the table. Even today, we don't have his replacement. Anybody who has played even one game on the international stage knows the weight of those boots,” the selector emphasized.
“It is very easy to comment on someone's game when he has played 350 ODIS and 98 T20ls. He has won the team more games than many have seen in their life. In today's age of technology, do you think opposition bowlers don't look at his strong and weak zones? They also take the field to compete. They wouldn't be bowling at MS and want him to tonk them out of the park,” he concluded.
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