India vs Australia: Hemang Badani feels Vijay Shankar should replace MS Dhoni in the second T20I
He also felt that the veteran should've been rested for this series.
Former India cricketer Hemang Badani feels MS Dhoni should be rested while Vijay Shankar should be given a chance in the upcoming second and final T20I against Australia in Bengaluru. Dhoni had a day to forget with the bat in the first T20I in Vizag. The former India skipper struggled to get going and once again faced criticism for his slow and uncharacteristic knock. Dhoni came out to bat when India were reduced to a precarious situation of 80 for 3.
As usual, he took his time early on and the situation also demanded the same. However, his failure to hit the big shots even during the slog overs cost India big at the end of the game. The veteran batsman, who was dropped for the T20I series against Windies and Australia, managed to score just 29 off 37 balls.
With MS Dhoni failing to deliver, India managed to score a modest 126 for 7 in the allotted 20 overs. The hosts, however, managed to give the visitors a mighty scare before losing the game on the very last ball. And as India gear up to avoid a series defeat for the first time at home since 2015, Badani feels Shankar should replace Dhoni in the playing eleven for the upcoming game.
Why Shankar?
The reason behind Badani’s statement, however, was not Dhoni’s form but something else. Badani, who shared the dressing room with MS Dhoni during his time at Chennai Super Kings (CSK), feels that since Dhoni’s spot in the World Cup is secured, India should try out Shankar.
“Dhoni anyways is going to play the World Cup and is your first keeper. If you had asked me, to begin with, I would say don’t play MS Dhoni at all. Give Dhoni a rest. You are figuring out who will be your second wicketkeeper. I would say straightaway that try out Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik. But Indian selectors have gone ahead with Dhoni in the first game.
“But I would say try out DK, try out Pant because this is a trial for them to be the second keeper. Vijay Shankar has done exceedingly well in the series against New Zealand. That is why I say, try that kid out and give him as many chances as possible. If gets some runs on the board there is a chance that he might go on to play in the World Cup,” said Badani in conversation with ESPNCricinfo.
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