The pertinent Dhoni question

Sport is a very fickle field to be in. For, the same sport which allowed a sportsman to experience peaks hitherto untrodden by other mortals can also make him experience its devastating pitfalls. It is this highly uncertain nature of sport that makes it so riveting to watch.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has seen it all. It was 14 years ago, that 23-year-old Dhoni first donned Indian colours in an ODI against Bangladesh. The eyes of all the selectors were on him when he made his debut. The reason they wanted to see if he had it in him to represent India at the highest level. Fourteen years later, all the eyes of the selectors are on him again, and exactly for the same reason. Life indeed comes full circle.

The year 2018 has been extremely unkind to Dhoni. The iconic cricketer has been struggling to force the pace with the bat and his famed finishing touch seems to have deserted him. For, in 2018, MSD has scored just 275 runs at a below-par average of 25.00 and a strike rate of just 71.43. And, to add to all that, in the 13 innings that he has played this year, he has not scored even a single fifty. So, this brings us to the pertinent question - Should MS Dhoni be picked for the 2019 World Cup?

The answer to this question is not as easy as it might seem to be because the man we are talking about is an iconic sportsman-a symbol of pride and a legend in his own right. That is precisely the reason why this turns out be a very tricky situation to be in if you are the Indian selector.

While some feel that it is indeed time for Dhoni to bow out and make way for brighter, younger talent, there are many who still feel that Dhoni’s experience, his calmness and the role that he plays in the dressing room is something that cannot be overlooked. And, there is no debating the fact that Dhoni is still the best wicketkeeper in the world in the ODI format of the game.

Virat Kohli still leaves it to Dhoni to set the field in the crucial stages of an innings, the odd bowling change that Dhoni whispers into Kohli’s ear still works wonders for the team and the bails are still whipped by Dhoni in a flash even if the batsman’s foot is in the air even for a fraction of a second. But, the main concern is, the runs have dried up from the willow.

The ICC Cricket World Cup is only 5 months away, or to be more precise just 13 ODIs away and India will certainly want to pick the best team for cricket’s premier event. On one hand, you have the exciting, exhilarating and fearless Pant who, while extremely talented with the bat has been untested on the big stage yet, and on the other hand you have Dhoni who has seen it all, a veteran and an icon whose form with the bat is a major cause of concern.

Dhoni became famous for being a fearless captain-a leader who had the ability to look adversity on the face and take tough decisions. He did not hesitate in dropping a senior player if he felt that a brighter and more youthful talent would add more value to the side. But now, at 37 years of age, the sword is hovering above Dhoni’s head. Will Kohli do a ‘Dhoni’ on Dhoni himself, or will the iconic cricketer walk into the sunset after one last hurrah?

Only time will tell….