The most successful captain, finisher and wicket keeper, all said, and very well said. MS Dhoni has been on the forefront of Indian cricket for quite sometime now. The legendary keeper batsman is one of the few captains to achieve such success at international level or let’s say he is the only one till now. What not the Indian legend has won, the 50 over world cup, T20 world cup as well as the Champions Trophy. He was the one who even took India to the number 1 ranking in the test format. But as the game goes on, so does the players form and their age. Mahi has turned 39 this year and many believe this might be the last year of his international career. And the rumours are getting stronger and stronger since Mahi hasn’t appeared in any international game since the 2019 World Cup semifinal game against the Kiwis.
Mahi was all set to return to playing competitive cricket as the IPL was scheduled from 29th March, 2020. But as is very well said, everything doesn’t go according to plan. That’s what happened in the case of Mahi, as his planned return to competitive cricket was stopped by the outbreak of coronavirus in the world. All sporting events from across disciplines have been cancelled and the IPL has been postponed till any further notice. Also, the coronavirus threat is looming upon the scheduled World T20, 2020 to be held in Australia which supposedly was going to be Mahi’s last world cup event in his illustrious career.
But with the sporting calendar most likely to be postponed for the rest of the year, future of India’s most successful captain is under scanner again. So, now we would analyse various aspects which would help us know if Mahi could be part of India’s world T20 squad if it is postponed for 1 year. Mahi hasn’t played competitive cricket for almost 1 year now. And his replacement still hasn’t been found in the Indian team. The Indian team gave chances to Rishab Pant but the young dasher from Delhi hasn’t performed up to the standard expected from him. But when KL Rahul was given the role of a keeper batsman in the team, the youngster from Karnataka has impressed one and all with his performances in India as well as overseas. So, if India go with youth over experience for the T20 World Cup, looking at the next 2023 World Cup to be held in India. So, below I would be listing the possible wicket keeping options for India ahead of the T20 World Cup:
The above fig. clearly points out the fact that India would be having around 4 wicket keeping choices to go with. Looking at the type of format, wicket keeper is an essential part of the team as he provides the balance needed to the team. As of now, the most likely to go for the world cup is KL Rahul but he can play in the team as a specialist batsman also. So, there is a three-way race for the remaining spot. The selectors now have to choose whom to go with, be it the experience of MS Dhoni or the youngster from Delhi. Dinesh Karthik comes into the picture only if he has a good IPL with KKR as he has helped India always with his batting as well as his wicket keeping skills. Remember the Nidhas trophy final, how can any Indian forget that innings. So, will the Indian management go for Dhoni or not?
Dhoni’s fitness level isn’t a question at all, the Indian legend is fit as ever and not even a youngster can challenge him at this moment in relation to his fitness. The concerning point is his form with the bat which has dipped a little bit over the years. But it can’t be the only factor dependent upon his selection. If Mahi performs extremely well in the IPL if it happens, then the doors are clearly open for him in the T20 World cup team. But the problem is if the IPL is cancelled this year and the T20 World Cup goes on as scheduled, will the Indian team management take the risk of including Mahi in the team as he hasn’t played professional cricket for over a year now. This is the question the team management has to answer and answer fast as the T20 World Cup is approaching.
No doubt that MS Dhoni is a legend of the game but has the time come that MS Dhoni bids farewell to the game or is cricket still left in him? This is the question everybody is waiting to get an answer and only MSD has the answer to all these questions but the speculations would continue on and on.
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