Former selector hails MS Dhoni as once in a lifetime cricketer

Former Indian cricketer and national selector Vikram Rathour recently hailed veteran Indian cricketer MS Dhoni as one of the most valuable assets of the national side. He believes that a player like MS Dhoni comes only once in a lifetime. The kind of impact he can provide when at the crease is something that is and will be unmatched in the times to come.

In a conversation with the Hindustan Times, Rathour had a brief discussion on MS Dhoni and the prospects of the Indian team in the upcoming edition of the Champions Trophy. Team India will play two warm-up matches before heading into their first clash of the tournament against Pakistan. Talking about Dhoni, Rathour believes that the wicket-keeper batsman will have a major role to play as the finisher.

“A player like MS Dhoni comes once in a lifetime. He made a big impact not only with his captaincy but also with his tremendous batting skills in the middle-order. You cannot dismiss Dhoni so easily. His role as a finisher will be very crucial in the Champions Trophy. The way he paces his innings and runs between the wickets changes the complexion of the tricky match situations in India’s favor,” quoted Rathour.

Good squad for CT2017

He hailed the selection panel for having picked a good squad for the ICC mega event. He remarked that the selectors did a fair job by picking up experienced players. He explained that players like Rishabh Pant have been in great form but need more exposure before getting into the national scheme of things. Also, he lauded the selection of Dinesh Karthik as replacement of Manish Pandey.

“The selectors have done a good job by announcing a well-balanced team. I know Rishabh Pant’s name was doing the rounds for selection. He is immensely talented but he needs more exposure before getting into the national team. He can wait and get into the team with better preparation. Moreover, Dinesh Karthik was a superb replacement for injured Manish Pandey,” he quoted.

IPL form to have no impact on CT form

He further explained that the poor run of some players in the IPL will have no impact on their performances in the Champions Trophy. He cited the example of Virat Kohli to elucidate this particular point. Also, he believes that the team is in safe hands since Anil Kumble has been doing a great job of doing things ideally for the national setup at the moment.

“Do not assume that players who have not done well in IPL won’t deliver in Champions Trophy too. For example, Virat Kohli is a cricketer of a different pedigree. He might have failed in IPL. He knows how to get back to the positive frame of mind and get that confidence back with just one good knock. He is phenomenal. When the Indian team re-groups for Champions Trophy, they will be in a different mindset. With a legend like Anil Kumble as the coach, Indians can only go up from here. Watch out for Kohli with Kumble by his side,” conceded Rathour.