Dhoni recently shut all his critics by smashing 92 in the second ODI against South Africa. Playing a role he has been playing for the last seven years, Dhoni settled in, waited for the last few overs, and then took off, blasting the bowlers into all parts of the park.
However, if you’re a cricket fan, you’d notice that it wasn’t the same as the MSD of a few years ago. He was visibly struggling, some of his shots weren’t connecting, and he had to wait till the last few overs to really set things on fire.
Which raises the question – Should MSD hang up his boots? Let the debates begin! J
1. Most important part of the side: It’s difficult to think of it, but Dhoni has been part of the Indian team for more than ten years now. He stormed into the side with his long hair and bulging biceps, and smashed the poor Sri Lankan bowlers to all parts of the park to announce his arrival.
However, at 34, he is not getting any younger. India needs to think of the future, because Dhoni has a way of retiring without letting anybody know, like he did in the Australia tour. If we are to look at the future, we need to be prepared for an Indian team without Dhoni. It is going to be difficult, yes. But it has to happen.
2. The Need for New Blood: Before Dhoni, the wicketkeeper wasn’t really looked at as a batsman. We had keepers like Syed Kirmani, Nayan Mongia, and Kiran More, who played for long stints, but they were hardly what you’d call world class with the bat.
But since Dhoni came into the picture, a keeper who can’t bat seems like a liability to the side. Also, we have other people in the reserves, like Parthiv Patel, Dinesh Karthik, who are a few years younger.
3. Do we actually have any good options: Both Karthik and Patel are 30 years old, and hardly what you’d call world class batsmen. While it is easy to say Dhoni needs to go, it is hard to think of an able substitutes. Wriddhiman Saha looked promising, but he is 30 years old. Naman Ojha is also 32. The reality of the matter is, do we have anybody to substitute Dhoni with?
4. Take the hard call: If you look at the Australian selection, they don’t work on emotions. The reason why the Australian team has continuously produced champions is that they work on logic and future, rather than emotions. So while it is a difficult decision to make, it has to be made.
If not today, we’ll have to make the choice at some point in the given future. Also, there’s the fact that Dhoni doesn’t like being rushed out. He’s not the kind who’ll wait for the BCCI to announce a farewell series.
If he thinks he needs to go, he’ll announce it all of a sudden, and leave forever.
So what do you think we should do? Should we wait and trust Dhoni? Should we enjoy the last few tournaments of the greatest wicketkeeper and captain we have ever had?
Or should we be practical, logical, and throw him the axe?
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!
