Ganguly said on Dhoni- see if Mahi can still win India match

Things did not happen in England as per India or Dhoni’s plan. It was expected that as the next 50 over World Cup is to be held in 2023, Dhoni himself will step aside and Rishabh Pant is fully ready to take his place in the T20 format.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni made his international career debut under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly. Four years later, when Ganguly was playing his last Test match in 2008, Dhoni was the captain of the team. In the final moments of that match when India was headed for victory, Dhoni gave Ganguly a chance to lead the team. But in the midst of moments of this intimacy, the practical Dhoni kept Ganguly away from limited-overs cricket and laid the foundation for building a young team.

Now 38-year-old Dhoni’s future is swinging in an era of uncertainty in Indian cricket. There is not much scope for emotion on the discussion table. Ganguly also shows a professional attitude while talking about Dhoni’s future. In a conversation with India Today, Ganguly said, ‘Every big player has to hang up his shoes (withdraw from the game), this is the game. Look at the football, Maradona had to leave. There is no player bigger than that. Tendulkar, Lara, Bradman … all had to leave one day. This is how the system has been and will continue to be. Therefore, this situation will also come for MS.

The selectors and team management were very clear about Dhoni’s usefulness in India’s World Cup campaign in England. Things did not happen in England as per India or Dhoni’s plan. It was expected that as the next 50 over World Cup is to be held in 2023, Dhoni himself will step aside and Rishabh Pant is fully ready to take his place in the T20 format. But a message was given from Dhoni camp that he is not withdrawing from the game right now.

On this came the statement of Chief Selector MSK Prasad, ‘Retirement is purely personal. Legendary cricketers like Dhoni know when to retire. But what action is to be taken in future, what will be the road map, it is in the hands of the selection committee. Dhoni, who was known as Mr. Finisher on more than one occasion in the recent World Cup, failed to give the results for which he has been known. Whether he wants to win by chasing or fixing a big target for the opposing team while batting first.

Ganguly says, ‘He is at the stage of his career where he has to evaluate where he stands. They have to decide whether they can still win the match for India. Can he contribute like MS Dhoni like no other player? Because when players like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar are playing, then everyone expects that they will play according to their identity and win the match. I think it is for Dhoni to decide. Only one player knows how much fuel is still left in his tank. And how matchless is his match-winning ability? ‘

But given the way Rishabh Pant is learning the tricks of the game in a shorter format and Dhoni’s age is increasing, Ganguly says that Indian cricket will have to be a reality without Dhoni. Ganguly says, “Indian cricket has to understand the fact that MS Dhoni cannot play forever and will not be together for long, and I think it is for Dhoni to take this decision.”