Why it is time for the selectors to look beyond MS Dhoni in ODI Cricket

So, we are done with the 2019 World Cup. The Indian team had a bitter-sweet run in the competition, losing to New Zealand in the semi-finals. It was a match that was tightly contested, but the Men in Blue went down by 18 runs. And, as soon as India crashed out of the competition, one man who has gathered all the attention was Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The ‘will he, won’t he’ questions about his retirement have started doing the rounds.

There is little doubt that Dhoni’s famed finishing abilities are waning and he is now just a pale shadow of his former self. At the age of 38, Dhoni is very close to the sunset of his illustrious career. Also, he has opted out of the upcoming West Indies tour, stating his intention to serve the Indian army.

So, the question is, what next for Dhoni?

The unique thing about Dhoni is his sheer unpredictability. At no point has even the staunchest worshipper of Dhoni been able to predict his next move. He tossed the ball to Joginder Sharma instead of the more experienced Harbhajan Singh, and that won India the 2007 T20 World Cup. He promoted himself ahead of the in-form Yuvraj Singh in the 2011 World Cup final and scored a scintillating 91* as he allowed a cricket-mad nation to lift the World Cup trophy after 28 years.

In 2014, he ‘stumped' the cricketing world by announcing his retirement from Test cricket at the age of 33. He was the Indian skipper at that time, had age on his side, but still walked away. Nobody knew why he did it.

So, what is going on now, in the seemingly inaccessible mind of MS Dhoni?

Whatever it is, if it does not translate into performance on the field, then it might be time for the selectors to look beyond Dhoni in ODI cricket. He is not going to last till the next edition of the World Cup in 2023, and India need to groom Rishabh Pant for the next edition.

Also, Dhoni’s slow rate of scoring in the 2019 World Cup was questioned by experts. He scored a scratchy 28 off 52 balls in the game against Afghanistan and struggled to rotate the strike. And, even in the semi-final against New Zealand, he played out more than 30 dot balls in his 72-ball stay.

Dhoni has no peak left to scale in ODI cricket, and nothing left to prove. It is indeed high time for the iconic cricketer to draw the curtains down on his career. Otherwise, the selectors might be forced to leave him out from the side.

Dhoni became famous as a captain for his ability to take tough decisions in the face of adversity. He did not hesitate in dropping a senior player if he felt the need to do so. But today, the sword is hovering over Dhoni’s head. And, if Dhoni’s performances plummet down, the selectors might be forced to do a ‘Dhoni’ on Dhoni himself.