MS Dhoni is not finished but you can’t expect him to play as he did in prime, says ex-BCCI secy Sanjay Jagdale

With veteran India wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni yet to take a retirement call, speculation has not stopped in India’s cricketing circles. Suggestions have been pouring in from various quarters with some feeling the selectors should talk to the 38-year-old if he doesn’t feature in their scheme of things any more. The Indian cricket board’s meeting to pick the squad for the upcoming tour of the West Indies was scheduled on Friday but it was later postponed till Sunday, July 21.

One of the major decisions that the selectors and the Indian team management have to take is regarding Dhoni. Will he be retained for the series? Sources have said that he will not be picked while other reports said that the Ranchi cricketer has made himself unavailable for the tour. Former BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale meanwhile has said that India don’t have a better option other than Dhoni.

“Dhoni is a magnificent cricketer and has always played selflessly for the team. According to me, team India does not have a better wicketkeeper-batsman than Dhoni at the moment,” India.com cited reports quoting 68-year-old Jagdale as saying.

Dhoni is mature enough to take his decision, Jagdale said

Social media is flooded with rumours that Dhoni might have played his last ODI in the semi-final against New Zealand at the cricket World Cup. Jagdale said though the veteran cricketer is mature enough to decide when he should hang up his boots, he added that the selectors should approach him and discuss his future plans. He also said the selectors should also inform him of the role they want to see in him play.

The 2011 World Cup-winning captain came under criticism during the 2019 edition because of his slow approach to batting. Against teams like Afghanistan and England, Dhoni was seen unable to accelerate the scoring towards the end as a result of which India fell short of their target scores. Jagdale said it is wrong to say that Dhoni is finished as a cricketer but also cautioned that one cannot expect the player to produce the same intensity and attacking game as he had done during his prime.

Jagdale felt Dhoni batted as per the condition in England and that he was doing his job with great responsibility until he got run-out at a crunch moment.