MS Dhoni Retirement talks fill the air as World Cup nears its end
NEW DELHI : MS Dhoni is receiving a lot of criticism for his batting approach in the ongoing World Cup 2019, though India’s 2011 World Cup-winning captain is in no mood to hang his boots, ABP News’ cricket website wahcricket.com reported on Friday.
Dhoni, 37, hasn’t had the greatest of World Cups in England and Wales with his slow strike rate being the talking point. While the legendary former India captain has a 50 to his name, against the West Indies in Manchester, questions have been raised about his finishing abilities which to many are on the wane.
There have been reports of Dhoni bringing down the curtains on his career after the World Cup, and the ICC’s video on the day of India’s last group match against Sri Lanka underlined his contribution to the game since he made his ODI debut in 2004 against Bangladesh in Chittagong.
According to the report, MS Dhoni told ABP News that he was not sure when he is retiring from the sport but some people want him to retire before India’s next World Cup game against Sri Lanka. The two Asian rivals face off in their last World Cup 2019 league stage match at Headingley in Leeds on Saturday.
“I don’t know when I will retire. But a lot of people want me to retire before tomorrow’s game,” Dhoni told ABP News. Earlier news agency PTI reported India’s last match in the ongoing World Cup, in all likelihood, will also be MS Dhoni’s last game in India colours.
If India qualify for the finals and go on to win the World Cup on July 14 at the Lord’s, it would be ideal setting for a fitting farewell to one of the legends of Indian cricket.
“You never know with MS Dhoni. But it is unlikely that he will continue to play for India after this World Cup. But since his decisions to quit captaincy from the three formats have been taken so suddenly, it is very difficult to predict at the moment,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on condition of anonymity.
The current selection committee, which is likely to stay till the October AGM, will obviously start the changeover process looking at the ICC World T20 in Australia next year. When the new selection committee takes over from the incumbents, the possible replacements for the shorter formats will be identified with reasonable time left for the World T20s.
However, with India qualifying for the semi-finals at the World Cup here, neither the team management nor the BCCI wants to talk about sensitive issue.
Dhoni has scored 223 runs in seven games at a decent strike rate of 93 plus if one goes by the scorecards but what they don’t reflect is his inability to rotate the strike and strike big.
India skipper Virat Kohli has been asked time and again about Dhoni’s slow batting and his role in the team. Kohli has always backed his first captain and in the video, the 31-year-old opens up on how he always believes in Dhoni.
“What you see from the outside is very different from what happens within a person. His greatest skill is to maintain his composure during the toughest of moments and that’s why he is so good. He is able to make such good decisions under pressure. There is so much to learn from him. When I walked into the Indian team dressing room, he was my captain and he will always be my captain in my head,” Kohli says.
“We all love him being around in the team. He enjoys every bit of being on the field. Our understanding has been great over the years. I could do anything for the team together. Off the field, he understands me fully and I understand him fully.”
(With PTI inputs)
