Virender Sehwag, the former Indian cricketer, has backed experience of MS Dhoni and has said that Dhoni is vital player from team India’s perspective for the World Cup 2019,
“It’s very important for MS Dhoni o to play 2019 World Cup from India’s perspective… If you look at the middle order, there is no experienced player there. Whether you talk about Manish Pandey or Kedar Jadhav – both are inexperienced. If top order and Virat Kohli fall early, then there is no one apart from Dhoni to rescue team India from that point. So Dhoni is an important player and selectors should also say the same so he could play his game freely,” he told India TV.
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After the resignation of MS Dhoni as the captain of Indian cricket, there were many doubts about his place in the team, and it was clear that the only way that he could sustain his place in the team was through his batting.
After a defeat in fourth ODI against West Indies during the series last month, Dhoni was criticised for batting slow.
The matter got much air when MSK Prasad, the Chief Selector of Indian cricket team said that Dhoni was not a permanent member of the team and the selectors will look for his alternative if he does not perform.
Dhoni did well in series against Sri Lanka and showed that team India needs his experience. Keeping the experience of Doni in mind, Sehwag also called Dhoni an outstanding play for team India.
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When looking at the middle order of team India, now MS Doni is the lone experienced batsman. The other two batsmen viz Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav are still newcomers in international cricket. The place of KL Rahul is not yet decided in team India and Ajinkya Rahane – the experienced man – has been kept as a reserve opener.
So Dhoni is not just a player, but also the need of team India at the moment as he performs a dual role in the team, i.e. of a batsman and wicketkeeper as well.