Lalchand Rajput reveals why Dhoni chose Joginder Sharma for the final over in 2007 WT20

MS Dhoni has been on the firing line and his place in the T20I side has been questioned by many cricket experts. But he has found support in the face of Lalchand Rajput, who was India’s manager in the victorious World T20 tournament in the year 2007.  Rajput said that Dhoni is still irreplaceable in many facets of the game. He also said that the talks of him stepping down doesn’t sound logical.

Dhoni hasn’t been at his best during the limited overs series against New Zealand. Many pundits suggested him to make way for a younger player so that the youngster can be groomed for the upcoming vital matches. But Rajput begs to differ.

Dhoni is the best finisher: Rajput

The 55-year-old feels that Dhoni is still fit and is a brilliant runner between the wickets. And apart from that he is the best finisher, which is invaluable.”To me, talks of him stepping down doesn’t sound logical because I don’t see any player doing so well that he could replace Dhoni in T20s. Also, I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t continue playing till he wants. He is as fit as anybody else in the team, and he is a brilliant runner between the wickets other than being very sharp while keeping. And above all, he is still one of the best finishers,” Rajput told The Times of India.

He shared an incident where Dhoni had suggested Joginder Sharma’s name for the crucial last over in a crunch game. Joginder went on to bowl the final over of the WT20 final and helped India clinch the title.“In one of the team meetings, Dhoni told me that Joginder can be crucial in the last over as he can bowl good yorkers. But more than that, Joginder keeps a straight face all the time, making it impossible for others to know whether he is under pressure or not”, he said.