That old adage we learned in our school days, ‘what goes up must come down’ also applies to cricket and, well, to cricketers.
The career of a cricketer depends upon his form and fitness. There are exceptions like Sachin Tendulkar, who went on to play for 24 long years, and there are also players like Ghulam Parkar from Mumbai, who played just one Test match in his entire career.
What’s most interesting about career spans – and this is something I experienced during my stint as Chief Selector of the BCCI for four years – are the retirement speculation reports that keep the media busy. Every channel or newspaper has a different view point, and there have been times the speculations amused us cricketers too!
The latest target of these ‘reports’ seems to be MS Dhoni. In fact, we’ve been hearing about Dhoni’s retirement since almost two years now. But, whenever the media has questioned his place in the side, he has replied with sterling performances.
Dhoni Is a Dear Friend And He’s Not Retiring Anytime Soon
India lost the recent ODI series to England and the media latched onto the defeat to once again go after MS Dhoni.
I have known him very closely for the last 14 years and I am privileged to have seen him when he was just starting his career. I have worked with him as an India A coach and as a chief selector, and he happens to be a very dear friend of mine now.
I can assure all his fans that he is not retiring as of now.
Most of the people know Dhoni as either Captain Cool or as a top finisher. However, experts and selectors who have played this game will also give importance to the contributions made by Dhoni as a wicketkeeper. I have made it clear earlier and am making it clear once again that selectors have the right to select or drop a player on his performance and fitness.
Selectors also discuss vacant slots with the captain and the coach and look for suitable options; selectors cannot have strong likes or dislikes. The selectors’ only job is to select a best possible combination after consultation with the captain and the coach.
Dhoni Still First Choice for Keeper
In earlier days if there were injuries at the very last minute, selectors would have trouble finding a suitable replacement but I am happy to say that during our tenure (2012-16) in the selection committee, we created a big pool of replacements and today they are available at the snap of a finger.
The news of Rishabh Pant’s selection in the Indian Test team against England gave another chance to the media to speculate some more. They have already started putting a question mark on who will keep for India during the 2019 World Cup and as the former chief selector, I am glad to see Dinesh Karthik fighting his way back into the Indian side. I am also happy to see Pant as the second wicket-keeper in the team.
Many people may not agree with me but I will still pick Dhoni as the first choice wicket-keeper for the World Cup next year. The reason simply is that in the shorter format of the game, Dhoni’s ability behind the stumps is of far more importance than his match-finishing skills.
Dhoni has been above par behind the stumps for India for many years and he will try to do the same till he hangs his gloves.
Why Not Accept Dhoni’s Role Change?
Apart from Virender Sehwag, all recent greats who have played for more than 10 years have made changes to their batting or bowling approach and we have accepted the same, so why not do the same for Dhoni? Why not accept that Dhoni is a far greater asset to the team as a keeper than as a match-finishing batsman?
Dhoni is now a far improved keeper than he was in the past.
Like I mentioned earlier, no selector has the right to tell a player when to play and when to retire. The Chief Selector, along with the captain and the coach, takes a call on when they feel a player is not helping the cause of the team and then it’s their decision to take a call, and we all should respect it.
However, with Dhoni, I don’t think that stage will come. He is a straight forward and simple thinking guy. The day he comes to know that he is not making a contribution to the team, he will take a call and I will be the first person to salute him.
Fans & Media Should Not Pressure Dhoni
I used to find it quite ironic that before every selection meeting, media and other cricket pundits would make suggestions on which player should be picked and which should be left out. However, after the team was announced, the same set of people would criticise selectors for selecting or dropping the same player they had mentioned!
I request all cricket lovers to let Dhoni be and do his job. Let the captain and the coach do their jobs and let the selectors do theirs.
Let’s chill out and enjoy this great young Indian team trying their best to win every match and beat every team.