The members of the current team, including skipper Virat Kohli, has immense reverence for the Jharkhand dasher, said Dhawan.
India's Mahendra Singh Dhoni walks off for 50 during the 2019 Cricket World Cup first semi-final between New Zealand and India at Old Trafford in Manchester, northwest England, on July 10, 2019. (Photo by Dibyangshu Sarkar / AFP)
Amid the rumours of MS Dhoni’s retirement being rife, India opener Shikhar Dhawan, who made his international debut under Dhoni’s captaincy, says that the wicketkeeper batsman knows when to call time on his illustrious international career.
“Dhoni has been playing for so long, I feel he understands when he should retire. This should be his decision. He has taken very important decisions so far for India in his career and I’m sure he will make the call when the time comes,” Dhawan said on India TV’s show ‘Aap Ki Adalat’ hosted by Rajat Sharma.
Heaping praises on Dhoni, the Southpaw said, “That’s the quality of a big leader. He knows the potential of every player, and knows to what extent a player should be backed. He knows how to make a champion out of a player. India’s success during his captaincy justifies this. His (Dhoni’s) control is his biggest quality.”
Advertisement
The members of the current team, including skipper Virat Kohli, has immense reverence for the Jharkhand dasher, said Dhawan.
“Dhoni bhai has been quite successful as the captain of the side. We are all very grateful to him and we respect him a lot, and the same goes for Virat,” he said, adding, “When Virat was young, he guided him immensely. Even when he became the captain, Dhoni bhai was always there to help him. This is the quality of a leader. It’s good to see that Virat is showing his gratitude to him now.”
Talking about young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, who has been under scanner for his inconsistency and wrong shot selection, Dhawan said, “Rishabh is very talented and I am sure he will have a long career for India. He is trying hard. There are situations when you don’t score, but then you learn from them. It happens with everyone and I’m sure he will learn from it.
“He (Pant) is a good player and we need to back good players. Even I went through rough patches in my life, and I still do. It is part and parcel of this game,” he said in an assuring tone.
(With inputs from PTI)
Advertisement
