MS Dhoni has found more public support from the Indian management with regard to his future in T20Is. Following Virat Kohli‘s statement that it was unfair to target Dhoni, head coach Ravi Shastri has now come out to back the former captain, saying “great players” decide their own future.
Dhoni’s place in the T20 team has been the subject of debate following his 37-ball 49 in a losing cause during the second T20I against New Zealand in the recently concluded series. Dhoni’s innings was a stark contrast to Kohli’s free-flowing aggression at the other end and prompted former players and TV experts to question his strike rate and inability to hit big shots.
While Kohli said he didn’t understand why Dhoni was the only player being targeted after a loss, Shastri was a lot more assertive in his defence, suggesting that some people are waiting to see the end of Dhoni.
“Looks like there are a lot of jealous people around, who just want Dhoni to have a couple of bad days,” Shastri said to Anandabazar Patrika. “There are a few people who are waiting to see the end of MS Dhoni. But great players like him decide their own future.
“It [criticism] doesn’t make a difference to me. In our mind we know where Dhoni stands within the team. He is an ultimate team man. He was a great leader and now an ultimate team man.”
This sentiment was echoed by Kohli as well, who had said that Dhoni was playing a specific role in the team that was appreciated within the dressing room.
“As team management and players, we understand the situations in which he goes out to bat. We don’t get emotional and excited by the opinions of people who are looking at things from a different point of view. If you are playing, you know how the wicket is and what the situation is like. So I think he is doing absolutely fine. He understands his game, he understands his role, but it doesn’t come off every time.”
Shastri went on to suggest that the nature of television might have prompted some experts to offer the views that they did.
“Not so long ago I used to do television and people used to ask me questions. You need to answer questions to make a show happen,” he said. “Dhoni is a superstar. He is one of our greatest cricketers. So he is always going to be a great topic. He is always going to be a topic because he is a legend. When you have a career as glorious as that, you become a topic on television.”
Source: ESPN Crickinfo