MS Dhoni should continue until the 2019 World Cup: Virender Sehwag

Indian wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni hasn’t had much to cheer of late in international cricket. He played the ODI and T20I series against Ireland and England in which he was unable to hit his straps in the hour of need. He was also booed by the crowd at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground for not stepping on the gas when India’s required run rate escalated at an alarming rate.

Recently, Rishabh Pant, who is one of the contenders to replace Dhoni after the veteran hangs his boots, scored his maiden century for the national team in the last Test against England at Kennington Oval in London. Quite expectantly, the supporters want to him to be drafted into the ODI side as well.

However, former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag reckons that Pant won’t be able to garner much experience in the 50-overs format for the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales and hence, Dhoni should be persisted in the extravaganza.

Dhoni has won matches single-handedly for the country

“In my personal opinion, MS Dhoni should continue till the 2019 World Cup. Even if you play Pant in ODIs from now, he won’t be able to play more than 15-16 ODIs till the World Cup which is far less compared to Dhoni, who has played over 300 ODIs. I would want Dhoni to continue till the World Cup,” Sehwag was quoted as saying on India TV.

“Pant is someone who can hit sixes at his will, but when you talk about Dhoni, he has won matches single-handedly for the country. So Pant has the right kind of the temperament to be a perfect heir for him. I want Dhoni to hand the baton to Pant when he hangs his boots,” he added.

After a lacklustre campaign on English soil, the 37-year-old will next play the upcoming Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), starting September 15. India are scheduled to play their first match against Hong Kong on September 18 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

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