MS Dhoni Should Not Pick And Choose Series, Says Gautam Gambhir

MS Dhoni, the former India captain, has been away from cricket for over two months. MS Dhoni took a sabbatical from cricket to serve time with Indian Army after India's semi-final exit from the World Cup. After World Cup 2019, speculations regarding MS Dhoni's retirement started to grow which were later cleared by chief selector MSK Prasad. However, MS Dhoni's decision to opt out of the series against the West Indies has not gone well with former India opening batsman, Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir has urged the selectors to talk to MS Dhoni regarding his future with Indian cricket team.

"I have always maintained this one thing. Retirement is an individual call, I think for me selectors should talk to him (MS Dhoni) and ask him about his future plan. Ultimately for me, playing for India, you should not be picking and choosing series," Gambhir said.

During the World Cup, Dhoni was heavily criticised for his low strike rate. He scored 273 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 87.78 in the tournament.

The team management decided to give Rishabh Pant a chance behind the wickets in the absence of MS Dhoni but Pant has so far failed to grab this opportunity. The 21-year-old could only manage to score 23 runs in the two Twenty20 Internationals against South Africa at home.

Speaking on the criticism Rishabh Pant is facing from fans and cricket pundits, Gambhir said that Pant has a long future ahead.

"There is too much attention that is being given to a new player. He is just 21, he has played for last two and a half years. He has got two hundreds in Test cricket. We should not be comparing him with anyone, the team management should be backing him in the right way. He is still young and he has got a long future ahead," Gambhir said.

Gambhir further added that on his day, Rishabh Pant has the potential to win matches for the country.

"Team management should talk to Pant. Not just Kohli, Ravi Shastri should also speak to him. Pant should be given freedom, if you curb him, he won't play to his potential. You have to accept that Pant will not always get his shot selection right. On his day, he can win you a game," he concluded.

(With ANI inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team MS Dhoni Gautam Gambhir Cricket