After AB de Villiers, Jonty Rhodes bats for MS Dhoni

Former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes has backed veteran Indian cricketer MS Dhoni to come good for the national side in the coming times. In the recent months, there has been an increased pressure on the former Indian captain to perform. Having quit Test cricket already, Dhoni only serves his trade in the limited-overs format and has been largely off the radar with the bat in the last few assignments.

At the very same time, there has been an emergence of younger wicketkeeper-batsmen, like Rishabh Pant, who has shown tremendous promise to excel at the highest level. The combination of two factors has put Dhoni’s position in the national side on shaky grounds. Having said that, it is safe to assume that the former skipper will continue to serve the side until the 2019 edition of the World Cup.

As time progresses, and the mega event approaches, the eyes would be on Dhoni in every game that he plays. Amidst such backdrop, when most of the fans and pundits are putting pressure on Dhoni, former South African cricketer AB de Villiers came in support of the Jharkhand veteran.

AB de Villiers had said, “I would play MS Dhoni in my team every day of every year. He can be 80, in a wheelchair, and he would still play for my team.”

Rhodes joins the discussion

Now another former Proteas cricketer has joined the discussion and has put his weight in Dhoni’s corner. Jonty Rhodes hailed MS Dhoni as a very influential cricketer. He remarked that the way he would make contributions to the national side would be vital. Certainly, Dhoni is not just about donning the keeping gloves and hitting some runs in the lower-middle order.

He adds more value to the table for the Indian side. His inputs from behind the stumps help the younger bowlers sort their line and lengths when their backs are against the wall. Several youngsters have credited their success to Dhoni’s tips during the match time.

“He (Dhoni) is still a very influential player. It is about where you make contributions and how you make them,” Jonty Rhodes quoted as per the quotes in Sportstarlive.

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