Team India’s head coach Ravi Shastri indirectly takes on former Indian cricketers like Aakash Chopra, Ajit Agarkar and others who opined that MS Dhoni should retire from the shortest format of the game. Shastri called Dhoni’s critics as ‘jealous’ and feels that they are waiting to see an end to Dhoni’s international career. Dhoni has not been able to play the role of a finisher in T20Is. He could not score at a lethal strike rate in the recently concluded three-T20I series against New Zealand. His ordinary performances with the bat resulted into criticism as people felt that he should make way in the team for a youngster.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli too recently took on Dhoni’s critics in the post-match press conference explaining the situation he comes to bat. Shastri in an interview with a Bengali daily Anandabazar Patrika bashed India’s World Cup-winning captain’s critics.
Looks like there are a lot of jealous people around, who just want Dhoni to have a couple of bad days…. There are a few people who are waiting to see the end of MS Dhoni. But great players like him decide their own future,
Shastri is unmoved by the criticism, it is quite clear from his statement.
It (the criticism) doesn’t make a difference to me. In our mind we know where Dhoni stands within the team. He is an ultimate team man. He was a great leader and now an ultimate team man.
Shastri took a dig at former Indian cricketers talking against Dhoni.
Not so long ago I used to do television and people used to ask me questions. You need to answer questions to make a show happen.
He went ahead and lauded the wicketkeeper-batsman.
Dhoni is a superstar. He is one of our greatest cricketers. So he is always going to be a great topic. He is always going to be a topic because he is a legend. When you have a career as glorious as that, you become a topic on television.
Shastri also emphasised on Dhoni’s average in ODIs over the last year and his contribution in recently concluded ODI series against Australia and Sri Lanka.
