Ravi Shastri speaks about Dhoni’s participation in the 2019 World Cup

Many people have tried to guess when Dhoni would finally hang up his boots for good. The legendary wicket keeper has been playing for almost 13 years now, and is currently in the last stretch of this incredible journey.

You get the feeling that Dhoni is someone who would want leave the spotlight discreetly and unperturbed by anyone. His sudden exit from test matches was a case in point, as no one had seen it coming.

In some ways it was not surprising, as Dhoni has often claimed that the limited overs format is what he enjoys the most. But it did make you wonder when Dhoni would decide to finally give up the game completely.

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There was feeling among many fans that the 2016 T20 World Cup could become Dhoni’s swansong. After all, he attained legendary status after leading India to their maiden T20 world cup triumph in 2007.

Another world cup win, this time at home would have made the perfect ending. But India’s semi final loss to West Indies put an end to any grand finale.

During the post match conference, Dhoni hinted that he may continue till the 2019 world cup, something that most people frowned upon.

It is not that Dhoni’s ability or fitness is in question, but if Dhoni makes the team for the world cup then it would further delay the bedding in process of someone like a Rishabh Pant or Sanju Samson.

Dhoni himself was a huge supporter of youth in his days as a captain, famously removing Dravid and Ganguly from the ODI side. Ravi Shastri though, has spoken out regarding the rumours surrounding Dhoni’s inclusion in the world cup squad.

“A player is evaluated on the basis of his current form and fitness and Dhoni has both. If you see his wicket-keeping, he is the best in ODI cricket. His fitness is superb, he batted well in Sri Lanka. And let me tell you, it was just a trailer what you saw in Sri Lanka… now wait for the movie.”

“If he continues to play like this, there no question of not having him in the team for the 2019 world cup. You can’t even think of a team without Dhoni,” he said.