New Delhi: Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has thrown his weight behind senior batting stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, saying nobody should tell them whether they can continue or not, while backing the “dangerous” Indian T20 team to defend its world title on home turf.
In an interview to sports broadcaster Jatin Sapru facilitated by tile and stone-installation company MYK Laticrete, which roped in Dhoni as its brand ambassador, the reclusive superstar gave rare views on Indian cricketing matters.
“Sorry, what’s the question?” he quipped at first when the debate surrounding the possibility of Rohit (38) and Kohli (37) playing the 2027 ODI World Cup was brought up during the nearly half-hour interaction.
But he quickly took a more serious tone and asked, “Why not, why somebody should not play the World Cup?”
“For me, age is not a criteria, performance, fitness these are criteria. I always feel nobody should be told anything. But things should be clear that everyone will be treated the same way.
“When I made my debut I was 24, nobody told me anything and now when I am playing for India for 10 years, 20 years or whatever, nobody needs to come and tell me about my age,” he asserted.
The 44-year-old, who still plays in the IPL for Chennai Super Kings, stressed on the need for experience in the side.
“Whether Rohit or Virat or other names that will come up in next five years… whether they can or cannot play the next World Cup, it’s not for us to decide, it’s for them to decide. If they keep playing well, if they have the urge to do well for the country, then why not,” he said.
“You can’t get experienced people. You can’t get a 20-year-old who is experienced unless it’s a Sachin Tendulkar! You know you get experience at that age only if you start playing when you’re 16 or 17.”
Dhoni said a player cannot be considered experienced unless he has handled pressure for a prolonged time in his career.
“If you’re calling 20 games and 25 games as experience, then they are not experienced because you need people to be under the pump in the job that they are doing.
“…I have to play 80 games, 85 games to experience that and then to know how to tame my heart, how to tame my emotion, how to handle the pressure. So I feel the right combination of experience and youthfulness is very important.”
India’s current head coach Gautam Gambhir has been non-committal on the future of Rohit and Kohli, both of whom only play ODIs now. Dhoni said any player who is able to stay fit and perform should be able to keep his place irrespective of their age.
“Treat everyone equally. People are performing, they’ll be there. People are not performing, they won’t be there…if the guy is not fit you can chuck him out at any point of time. If he’s not performing anyways you’ll check him out.
“So there should not be any question regarding any individual when it comes to selection. There’s only one criteria. You’re performing, you’re fit, keep on playing.
India dangerous but beware of dew
The discussion then moved towards the T20 World Cup starting February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.
Dhoni was the first Indian captain to win it back in 2007 and when asked about the chances of the Suryakumar Yadav-led current side, he said the hosts will have to be mindful of the dew factor at this time of the year.
“It’s one of the most dangerous teams…what all is needed in a good team, everything is there. They have the experience especially when it comes to this format, the experience is vast.
“They have played under pressure. What worries me, I hate dew. Dew changes a lot of things. So even when I was playing, you know, something that really scared me was dew where the toss becomes crucial,” he explained.
“You know, nobody should get injured, whatever roles are given, people should accomplish their roles for the team. And if that’s the case, I don’t want to jinx it by saying anything, but it’s one of the most dangerous teams,” he said.
PTI
