3 Players who can replace MS Dhoni in India limited-overs team

Team India’s World Cup campaign came to an end as the Kiwis surpassed them in a thriller semi-final at the Old Trafford. Although MS Dhoni failed to finish the game, it was his partnership with Ravindra Jadeja which kept India in the hunt. The tournament came to an end with England’s win over New Zealand in the final and before India’s tour to West Indies, there are major speculations surrounding Dhoni’s future in limited-overs cricket.

Having played 350 ODIs and scored over 10,000 runs, with more than 200 sixes, several match-winning knocks and innumerable magic moments with the glove; Dhoni is without a shred of a doubt one of the greatest to don the blue jersey. He is still the best gloveman in the country and can give youngsters a run for their money in terms of fitness.

The former skipper received flak for his strike rate and his approach in run chases in this World Cup. He is 38 and might not have a lot of cricket in him. Thus it is about time that the team management finds an inheritor for Dhoni.

Here are the three young wicketkeepers who can replace MS Dhoni as a long-term solution:

1. Ishan Kishan

A wicketkeeper-batsman hailing from Jharkhand could replace another. Dhoni’s Jharkhand teammate Ishan Kishan has been on the rise in the last one year or so. Kishan led India to the Under-19 World Cup final in 2016. The following year he was the leading run-scorer for Jharkhand having accumulated 799 runs including a mammoth 273 versus Delhi. The 20-year-old is flexible with his batting position – he averages 31 as an opener and 24 at number four in his four-year IPL career.

He started his IPL career at the age of 17 with Gujarat Lions in 2016 and was then bought by Mumbai Indians in 2018. Kishan scored at a strike rate of 149 in his debut season for Mumbai Indians. He has also been a part of India A squad recently; consistent and impressive performances could get the left-hander a shot at the national team as well.

Kishan has played 53 List A matches in his career and has 1780 runs – in 40 first-class matches, the left-hander has added 2538 runs to his name along with 1628 runs in 70 T20s.