How cricketers reacted to Dhoni's exclusion from T20I squad

Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar

Gavaskar has, on multiple occasions, reiterated that the experience of MS Dhoni will be crucial for India going into the 2019 World Cup. After the fifth and final ODI against the Windies, the swashbuckling opener turned commentator clarified that Dhoni's importance to the side is not just what the numbers reflect, but also his contribution to Virat Kohli and his captaincy burden ( doesn't seem like a burden, though.).

When asked if he should be a part of the 50-overs squad for the 2019 World Cup in England, Gavaskar, while speaking to India Today, said: "There is no question. Because apart from the fact that he has got the experience, he is so useful to Virat Kohli."

"All the little things he does from behind, telling the bowlers where to bowl to which batsmen, making those slight adjustments to the field, that leaves Virat free to think of bowling changes or to think ahead. So he takes a big load of Virat and of course he is always by Virat's side when he seeks advise. That's invaluable. No amount of money can give you that experience. Just for that he should be there for the 2019 World Cup," thinks Gavaskar.

"MSD is an absolute must for the 2019 World Cup," he added. "But having said that, I believe, the way Rohit Sharma has come to the party as a captain, as a thinker, as a planner. He has been brilliant. With Rohit coming in and also Ajinkya Rahane, Virat has a couple more shoulders to lean on. Therefore, I think this [is a] move to have MS Dhoni take a break from T20I cricket."

While Dhoni's comments regarding his omission have vindicated the fact that is was more than a fourteen-day-little-break, the additions of Rohit and Rahane as experienced campaigners do seem to be a plausible theory.