Gavaskar on Dhoni in World Cup 2019: Former Indian captain was vocal about Dhoni deserving a place for the world event next year.
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Sunil Gavaskar, former India captain and the first cricketer to cross 10,000-run mark in Test cricket, has advocated for former India captain and current wicket-keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni playing in ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
Dhoni, 37, is in the middle of a lean patch in both ODIs and T20Is. The year 2018 has bee his worst in terms of scoring runs in ODIs. While he is a vital member of the team when it comes to playing the advisory role and wicket-keeping, Dhoni’s batting has predominantly remained under the scanner this year.
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As a result, there have been calls for him to be dropped considering the upcoming World Cup. Gavaskar, who has laid significant emphasis on Dhoni playing domestic cricket and subsequently skipping Ranji Trophy in the past, now wants him to be included in the Indian team for the world event without a second thought.
“If Rishab Pant does well and keeps his form, he can find a place for his batting. He is a left-handed batsman and that helps add variety to the batting line-up. So although Pant is not picked for the ODIs currently, if he does exceedingly well in T20Is, he could come back,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying by India Today.
Gavaskar also praised Dhoni’s temperament across disciplines, saying that he can provide India captain Virat Kohli with performance feedback.
“Dhoni has the big match temperament. As a keeper, he is a big help to captain Kohli in terms of field placements and bowlers’ performance feedback. So he is necessary. And since the World Cup 2019 is going to be his last, he should be given the honour and recognition for all the services he has offered with a World Cup place,” Gavaskar added.
Read some of the latest Twitter reactions on Dhoni below:
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