The men in blue head coach Ravi Shastri has abandoned all the doubts regarding the participation of former India captain and currently the wicketkeeper-batsman of the team MS Dhoni in the 2019 World Cup. Going one step further Shastri also mentioned that Dhoni still remains the best wicketkeeper in the world.
In an interview with India Today, the boss of the Indian team said that Dhoni is an elder statesman in the dressing room. He said, “Dhoni is still the best wicketkeeper in the world and he is the quickest. The break from Test cricket has been great for Dhoni. He is an asset to the Indian team. He is an elder statesman in the dressing room.”
Dhoni was at his best in the recently concluded Sri Lanka series scoring 162 runs at a strike rate of 82.23. He also became the first wicketkeeper in the world to affect 100 stumping in One-day Internationals.
Shastri further mentioned that Dhoni should be remembered on the same line as Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar considering his contribution to the Indian cricket. “Where else will you find a legend like M.S. Dhoni? Dhoni is in the same league as Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar or Kapil Dev. We have to respect his achievements,” Shastri was heard saying.
Talking about Dhoni’s caliber, Shastri said there is no doubt on inclusion of Dhoni in the 2019 World Cup team if he continues to perform like this. He also said that the Ranchi stalwart is an asset to the Virat Kohli led Indian team.
When asked about Raina and Yuvraj’s future, Shastri was straight to make his point clear. He said, “Doors are not closed. They will be inducted only after they are declared fit.”
On answering why Jadeja and Ashwin were left out of the team, he was clear to mention that test cricket is their main priority. It is not possible for a player to play all the matches. There should be a pool of 25 players so that one player can get enough rest to give 100 percent when he is on the field.
Shastri heaped a lot of praise on skipper Virat Kohli. “An aggressive Virat is good for the team. Virat does not like people who do not speak straight,” he signed off.