Gambhir on Dhoni’s poor form: Gautam Gambhir speaks about Dhoni’s inconsistent form and giving Pant a chance.
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Gautam Gambhir, who is currently leading Delhi in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, was recently vocal about former India captain and current wicket-keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s spot in the Indian limited-overs team.
There is no hiding to the fact that Dhoni is undergoing a lean patch in international cricket. In 2018, Dhoni has played 15 ODIs, scoring 225 runs at an average of 28.12 and a strike rate of 67.36. His last half-century for India had come almost 10 months ago against Sri Lanka at Dharamsala.
It is his inconsistent run which has allured a plethora of criticism on his way in the recent times. There is no doubt in the wicket-keeping or fitness ability of the 37-year old cricketer. However, his batting woes remain a concern for India.
“Performance should be the criteria”
In an interview with Times Now, Gambhir laid emphasis on the fact that performance should be the sole criteria for a player to be selected in the national team. “Performance is the only criteria one can be part of a team. If you are not performing, you cannot be part of a team. Age doesn’t matter. I am sure Dhoni will be wanting to perform and prove the critics wrong”, Gambhir said about Dhoni.
Earlier, former India cricketer Ajit Agarkar had opined for Rishabh Pant to be included in the ODI team for the West Indies series in place of Dhoni. In the team announced today, Pant has been included alongside Dhoni. Whether he will make his way into the playing eleven in the first match itself will be known on October 21.
If Pant is included in the side as a specialist batsman, India will have a disadvantage of not having a sixth bowling option.
High returns in the Vijay Hazare Trophy
In the seven matches which Gambhir has played in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he has scored 386 runs at an average of 55.14 and a strike rate of 112.20, including a career-best List A score.
Read some of the latest Twitter reactions on West Indies’ tour of India below:
