I am happy that Dhoni decided to stay on as a player: Sunil Gavaskar

Legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar feels that MS Dhoni has still a lot to offer to Team India in the limited-overs format and said he was glad that he has only quit limited overs captaincy and he will continue to don the coloured clothing for the national team. But it remains to be seen how long will Dhoni continue as a keeper batsman.

“If he had quit as a player, then I would have been the first one outside his house, having a dharna asking him to make a comeback. As a player, he is still a destroyer. He change fortunes of the game in a single over. India needs him as a player very very badly. I am happy that he has decided to stay on as a player,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying by NDTV.

He believes that Dhoni’s batting and wicketkeeping will be benefited in the absence of captaincy burden. “Yes (it will). Virat would definitely use him at number four or five because having him further down the order doesn’t make any sense. Yes, he is a finisher but he can play a big innings at four or five and still end up as a finisher.

“The wicket-keeping will be a lot easier because he will not be thinking about the bowling changes and field placements, which can sometimes distract you,” said Gavaskar. The former opener also felt that Kohli and Dhoni will complement each other in the field.

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“It will certainly help India because MSD’s calm and composure will certainly help Virat. Often in Test cricket there is time to rectify your mistakes but in limited overs cricket, things happen fast and there is not much time so sometimes you might take an impulsive decision which is where MSD will come in very very handy.”

He wasn’t surprised either with Dhoni’s decision to step down and felt it was only a matter of time before he handed over the reign to Kohli but said that the decision was perhaps a bit too early. “I don’t think it really is a surprise but it has come a little bit early. I had thought that he would want to captain till the Champions Trophy where India are the defending champions. May be after that he would hand over the reins to Virat Kohli. But considering the tremendous success the Test team has had under Kohli, I am not too surprised that MSD has decided to hand over the reins to Kohli.

“The decision was bound to come sooner or later. It has come sooner that we all anticipated. Virat has shown over the last couple of years, as captain of RCB, that he is ready to take the responsibility. When we hand over captaincy, we always concerned how it will affect that individual’s speciality. In Virat’s case, we have seen that it doesn’t affect him at all,” said Gavaskar.

Dhoni has been someone who hasn’t chased records and even during his Test retirement he announced it in between a series. Speaking on this matter Gavaskar said, “Even in Australia it came as a surprise. One thought that he would complete the series and quit after that and stay on as a player. But he quit Test altogether. Here at least he is available as a player. So Virat will have the benefits of MSD’s vast experience as a successful ODI and T20 captain.

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“Again MSD’s thinking has purely been for the future of Indian cricket and it is in the hands of Kohli. So he has gracefully made way for that. Therefore we need to complement MSD for that as well.”

The “Little Master” believed that it depends on the desire and form of Dhoni if does wish to continue till the 2019 World Cup in England. “Clearly, it depends on his desire and form. As of now, there doesn’t seem to be too many options (after Dhoni) available but cricket is a funny game. When you think there isn’t anybody after Dhoni, somebody comes out of nowhere to take his place.

“In the meanwhile, lets just enjoy MSD as he plays out his final few years in India colours. Cricketers like MSD come once in a century. He brought a lot of flair and unpredictability in Indian cricket. Team has become positive and attacking under Dhoni. It will be his biggest legacy,” concluded Gavaskar.