Colombo : India head coach Ravi Shastri dispelled doubts Friday about Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s future and said that the stalwart is not even ‘half finished yet’ and is very much in the scheme of things for the 2019 World Cup in England.
Dhoni has been top form in the ongoing ODI series against Sri Lanka, having scored unbeaten 45, 67 and 49 in his last three innings.
“MS Dhoni is a massive influence on the team. He is a living legend in the dressing room and an ornament to the game. By no means or by any stretch of imagination, he is finished or even half-finished yet,” Shastri told this agency.
“If anyone thinks so about Dhoni’s future, they are mistaken and they have another one coming. They are in for some surprises. The old dog has plenty to offer,” Shastri added.
Dhoni remains the best wicket-keeper in the country by some distance, said the head coach. “How do you pick players? When they are good; and Dhoni is the best limited-overs keeper in the country. Forget his batting stats, what else do you want. Just because he has played for so many years, you are thinking about a replacement? Dhoni is still the best in the business, so what is the need to even entertain those thoughts,” Shastri shot back.
Shastri underlined that experimentation and rotation will be the key going forward as India will play in excess of 40 limited-overs’ matches before the next World Cup.
“ODIs are where we will experiment. Winning and losing will not matter so much. Of course, you play to win but we have to try all possible combinations. It is a long way to go until the World Cup and we want to take one series at a time. The aim is to have a nucleus of 18-20 players about 10 months before the World Cup,” Shastri stated.
Press Trust of India
