Sachin Tendulkar bats for MS Dhoni amidst retirement talks

Even as quite a few stalwarts of Indian cricket have expressed their disappointment at his recent form, wicket-keeper batsman MS Dhoni has found a high-profile backer in Sachin Tendulkar. Amidst retirement talks from various quarters, the legendary right-hander has come up in support of his former teammate.

In an interview with Mumbai Mirror, Tendulkar opined, "I know people are talking about a lot of things. It is not about what XYZ think. I have read Mr Gavaskar’s statement and seen Sourav’s remark that Dhoni needs to do more. But if you speak to MS himself, he would also say that it (his recent performance) has not been up to his expectations. And that’s the thing. Players try to perform to their expectations."

He added, "A player of his calibre, who has been around for a long time, knows what is expected of him. And where he stands. So, I will leave the decision to him. He has played enough cricket and he understands his game better than anyone else. He understands his own mindset too. So, I think one should leave everything to him. Being a colleague of him, I know of him and I think he is the best person to decide on his career."

Since the 2017 Champions Trophy final, Dhoni's dwindling performances have under increasing scrutiny. From 23 innings in the time period, he has scored 704 runs with five fifties. Even though his average stands at an impressive 58.66, a below-par strike-rate of 77.53 does offer a glimpse into his waning finishing skills.

During the recently completed ODI series against England, Dhoni drew sharp criticism for his sluggish 59-ball 37 at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground. Baffled by his defensive mindset, the packed arena went as far as booing him. Although he chipped in with a reasonable contribution in the series decider at Leed's, the veteran's deteriorating hand-eye coordination prevented him from taking the attack to the hosts.

Batting icon Sunil Gavaskar compared Dhoni's Lord's crawl to his own infamous 174-ball 36 at the same venue in the 1975 World Cup. Former skipper Sourav Ganguly urged the 'struggling' 37-year old to do more for the team's cause. With the World Cup looming large, critics of the gloveman are pressing the Indian think tank to start considering younger alternatives.

When asked about Dhoni's presence in the 2019 World Cup squad, Tendulkar quipped, "Well, it is all up to what he (Dhoni) thinks. I don’t know what are the plans of the captain and coach. We are almost a year away for the World Cup, so there is a lot of time."