Team India is no one’s personal property: Manoj Tiwary on MS Dhoni’s retirement speculations

The speculations over when MS Dhoni will hang his boots from the highest level have been grabbing the limelight for quite some time now. Most of the cricket pundits have had their say on the matter. Dhoni last played the World Cup where he wasn’t at his very best. Thereafter, the veteran took a break from cricket and served the Indian Army, the stint of which ended a few days ago.

Dhoni has been a recipient of criticism as well for his approach while batting in important stages. In the meantime, Manoj Tiwary, the discarded Indian cricketer, has also shared his opinions on whether it’s time for Dhoni call it a day or not. He reckons that Dhoni hasn’t shown consistency of late and the selectors need to be a little brave in making a decision surrounding the 38-year-old.

The selectors need to take a tough call, says Tiwary

“Dhoni has done a lot for our country. He has made a lot of contributions to this team. Recently, Sachin Tendulkar said that it’s time for Dhoni to side-line himself, he has played a lot. Though, Virat Kohli has said that the team needs Dhoni, I feel that the selectors need to take a tough call. It’s time to show courage and it’s necessary to take the step,” Tiwary told the Indian Express in an interview.

Tiwary feels that those who underperform shouldn’t be persisted with. He also doubted if the selectors are persisting with Dhoni based on the latter’s exploits in the past. Moreover, he didn’t mince any words in saying that Team India is not anyone’s property and the youngsters who are performing at the domestic level should get their due opportunities.

“Of late, Dhoni’s performance has significantly gone down. I wouldn’t have said this had it been only for an innings or two. But one has to field the best team. Those who perform, stays, and those who don’t have to move away,” the Bengal cricketer mentioned.

“I’m not sure if the selectors are giving Dhoni chances based on the past. There are a number of talented cricketers in our country and they should get chances. The Indian team isn’t anyone’s personal property. It’s a team of the nation and that needs to be kept in mind,” he added.

As far as selection is concerned, Tiwary has lashed out a number of times on the selectors. He has regularly put forth his numbers in domestic cricket in order to justify the reasons why he should be selected. Lately, he was ignored for the upcoming Duleep Trophy and he asked them to give him clarity over his career.

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