Former India opener Gautam Gambhir feels that MS Dhoni has to perform on a regular basis in order to retain his place in the first eleven till the 2019 World Cup. Dhoni who is on the verge of his career is facing a tough competition from the likes of Risabh Pant and Sanju Samson and have to prove his worth in every match despite age being against him. The 35-year-old Test batsman also lost the place to youngsters like KL Rahul and Abhinav Mukund.
The Kolkata Knight Riders captain also highlighted that performance should only be the criteria for selection no matter how inexperienced the player is. He also stated that past achievements should not be considered while selecting future teams.
In an interview with ESPNcricinfo Gambhir said, “The only way he (Dhoni) can survive till the 2019 World Cup is if he keeps performing and that should be the criteria for irrespective of whether he is MS Dhoni or someone like Manish Pandey who”s been selected to play for the country,”
Gambhir went to add that the Tamil Nadu batsman Dinesh Karthik has been treated unfairly by the Indian selectors despite performing well within his capacity. Notably, Karthik had a good stint in the recent tour to West Indies.
“Somewhere I feel that Dinesh Karthik missing out has been a very massive loss for us because he wasn”t given a lot of opportunities and whenever he got the opportunity, he did well in the West Indies. He could have the backup wicket-keeping option,” the southpaw added.
Gambhir last played for the Indian team in 2016 during England’s tour to India and since then has found it difficult to make a cut in the Indian side with all the openers being in good knock. However, he will like to perform well with his side Kolkata Knight Riders in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League.
