MS Dhoni deserves a proper send-off: Anil Kumble

There has been a lot of debate over MS Dhoni’s retirement from international cricket. From experts to commoners, almost every one has had an opinion about the 38-year-old. Keshav Banerjee, his childhood coach, said that Dhoni should continue until the 2020 T20 World Cup. But Dhoni’s parents reckon that their son should retire since India can’t handle the ‘big property’ anymore.

The veteran from Jharkhand was a part of the 2019 World Cup and hasn’t played any competitive match since. In the mega event, Dhoni wasn’t at his very best and was even a recipient of brickbats. Dhoni took a break from cricket in order to serve the Indian Army and also missed the ODI and T20I series in the West Indies. He isn’t a part of the T20I series versus South Africa as well.

In the meantime, Anil Kumble, the former Indian cricketer and once Dhoni’s teammate, sounded unsure about whether the keeper should call it a day or not. However, he was clear cut in saying that Dhoni deserves a proper send-off and it’s for the MSK Prasad-led selection committee to decide whether they wish to look ahead of Dhoni or keep him in the scheme of things for the future.

“I’m not really sure. I think Pant has certainly made a lot of claims as a keeper-batsman, especially in the T20 format. So, it’s important to have a conversation and you need to have a proper send-off, he certainly deserves that. It’s for MSK Prasad’s committee to decide whether they want to look back or move forward,” Kumble was quoted as saying in Cricket Next.

It’s important that things be communicated, says Anil Kumble

Kumble was also a tad critical of Pant, stating that the southpaw hasn’t shown enough consistency at the highest level. Moreover, Jumbo, as Kumble is popularly known, believes that if Dhoni is being thought about for a spot in next year’s T20 World Cup then he should play every other game.

“But having said that, Pant has also shown some inconsistency. That’s a call the selectors need to make. Today, in spite of all of that, are you going to back him (Pant) or someone else, or would you look back. I wouldn’t but I think it’s important that the selectors take a call on that

For the team’s sake, the selectors need to sit down and have a discussion around what the plans are because it’s important that things be communicated. If the selectors believe that Dhoni is in the scheme of things for the T20 World Cup, then I think he should be playing every game,” he added.

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