MS Dhoni: Reasons Why He Should Be A Part Of Team India For World T20

Team India and its fans suffered a major setback when the hope of 130 million people ended with Dhoni’s run out in the semi-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. Ever since then, speculation about Dhoni’s future has been doing the rounds and there has been mixed opinions about his return to international cricket. The man himself has been away from cricket since then and has done his best to stay away from controversy.

Chief selector, MSK Prasad has cleared that Team India has moved on and the focus will now be on the rising stars. But, ever since Dhoni’s departure, India has failed to fill in his boots. Keeping in mind the ICCT20 World Cup this year, let’s take a look as to why M.S. Dhoni should be a part of the Indian side.

A mastermind of the game:

Dhoni has been one of the most successful captains of the sport of cricket and is the only captain to have won all the major ICC tournaments under his reign. Team India also achieved first position in ICC Test Team Rankings under M.S. He left captaincy in 2017 from all formats to create space for Virat Kohli to take over. This helped Kohli in building a squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. But even after stepping down as the captain, Dhoni has always been Virat’s captain.

Spectators have seen Dhoni guiding Virat and the entire team in times of crisis. Dhoni has been a mastermind of the game and his tactics are way beyond modern day captains. His approach towards the game and his experience of handling pressure in big matches will surely help team India in clinching its second ICC T20 World Cup.

Magician behind the wickets:

Apart from being a good captain, Dhoni has been among one of the most successful wicket-keepers of international cricket. He is the third most successful wicket-keeper of all time after Kumar Sangakkara and Adam Gilchrist. Dhoni has a total of 444 dismissals to his name and this shows his confidence behind the wickets.

Rishabh Pant has been the regular wicket-keeper for India since Dhoni’s departure in limited overs cricket. But, he has failed to fill in Mahi’s boots. We can’t compare both of them as Pant is relatively quite young and will indeed do better in the coming times. But, India has been unsuccessful in major ICC tournaments for a while now and Dhoni’s experience behind the wickets could play an integral role in helping India win the ICC World T20.

The best finisher isn’t finished yet

When we talk about Dhoni, we talk about the backbone of Team India. During his entire playing career, Dhoni has been Mr. Dependable for team India and has rescued the team from every worst possible scenario. He comes in to bat at number five or six and when India bats first, he has the pressure to finish on a high. On the other hand, if India is chasing, Dhoni has to be there till the last to fulfill India’s dream. Dhoni has been perfectly playing both the roles from the very beginning to the latter stage of his career.

His substitute, Rishabh Pant has been poor with the bat for team India and though people might argue about his better strike rate, eventually, it all boils down to staying there until the very end and ensuring team’s victory.

Undoubtedly, M.S. Dhoni is a legend of the game of cricket. No one will overshadow his contribution to team India becoming a global force in world cricket. If India wants to lift the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia this year, Dhoni might be the man who can fulfill this dream. It will also be a perfect farewell for the legendary cricketer.