Former Indian captain MS Dhoni might be in the final lap of his cricketing career, but the seasoned campaigner remains the best wicket-keeper in the country, as per chief selector MSK Prasad. Dhoni, who opted out of the West Indies tour, to serve in the Indian army also continues to feature in any discussion around Indian cricket and there is great interest in what the future holds for the wicket-keeper batsman.
MSK Prasad refuted the theory which suggested that MS Dhoni’s presence in the Indian team had an adverse effect on the balance of the side.
“Had we won the (World Cup) semi-final (against New Zealand), especially after the collapse we had at the top of the order, then the knocks that Jadeja and MS played would have been hailed as one of the best knocks ever,” Prasad said.
The chief selector also said that the former skipper remains the best wicket-keeper and finisher in the game in the shorter formats and the other younger players are work in progress.
“I can clearly say this that till today MS is the best glovemen and finisher in India in the shorter formats. The others are still work in progress. MS was a big strength to this team in the World Cup both as a batsman and keeper, apart from sharing his vast experience with the team and captain while taking on-field decisions,” Prasad further added.
So after the sabbatical, will the selectors include Dhoni for the home series against South Africa and Bangladesh? As per the chief selector, the communication is pretty clear and that they are now looking to give Rishabh Pant as many opportunities as possible in order to groom him for the future.
“I have very clearly told post the selection of the Indian team against West Indies, that we have a plan post World Cup to give as many opportunities as possible to Rishabh and groom him so that he can grow in confidence and perform as per the requirements of the team,” Prasad said.
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