Dilip Vengsarkar is not sure why Team India has two wicketkeepers in the playing XI

Former Indian captain and chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar was upset with India picking two wicket-keepers in the playing XI in the ongoing ODI against the Windies. India played youngster Rishabh Pant in the three matches against the Windies so far even while retaining veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni. It is the latter who has, however, done the glovework in the series so far.

Pant, who made his Test debut in England a few months earlier, has been retained for the three-match T20I series each against the Windies and Australia while Dhoni, one of India’s most successful captains, was dropped. The 37-year-old though is still doing the glovework with good agility, his batting form has slumped alarmingly and given the fact that he is highly unlikely to play beyond 2019, the selectors thought it would be a practical call to move on.

Vengsarkar, nicknamed ‘Colonel’ in the cricketing circles, expressed his unhappiness over the idea of picking two keepers in the playing XI and said the selection was not satisfactory. “They can’t have two wicket-keepers in the team. The selection of the playing XI has not been up to the mark,” the 62-year-old former batsman was quoted by the Hindustan Times as saying on Monday.

Dhoni though completed 10,000 ODI runs as India’s fourth batsman recently, his vulnerable batting has not impressed the fans. He has also been slow in his approach, completely contradictory the mobility that he had shown during his prime days. Dhoni is yet to score a fifty in ODIs in 2018 (his last half-century had come against Sri Lanka at home in December last year).

Dilip Vengsarkar takes a dig at Dhoni

Vengsarkar also took a dig at Dhoni over his batting woes. “Dhoni has been one of India’s greatest cricketers and finest captains. But everybody goes through this phase. He is fit but his form is suspect. That is because he doesn’t play all the formats and doesn’t play domestic cricket as well. It is tough to straightaway come and play international cricket,” he said.

Pant, on the other hand, is yet to score something worthy in the two outings he has made in the ODIs so far. Neither he nor Dhoni could rise to the occasion in the third ODI against the Windies that India lost while chasing. He already has slammed a ton in Tests but will have to prove his worth in the shorter formats as well.

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from India vs West Indies series, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.