Virender Sehwag is never short of boundaries, words or controversial statements. Here he is yet again, speaking to a news channel, voicing his opinion on who should be the captain for the 2019 World Cup. On Dhoni:
“He should continue as captain till the next World Cup. If he does so, he can leave behind a good World Cup team.”
He explains further the reason behind why he thinks Dhoni is still the right man to lead India.
“And if he retires… you can imagine, even now when Dhoni is there, people have to think about who should bat at 5th, 6th and 7th positions. If Dhoni is not there, the 5th, 6th and 7th slots will become absolutely free and you cannot expect somebody to finish the match properly.”
On being questioned about India’s ODI series loss in Bangladesh, World T20 and the ODI series defeats at home to South Africa, Viru said:
“We lost because of the team, and not because of the captain, because neither our batting nor bowling was up to the mark. For how long will Dhoni alone win the match for us?”
Realistically, MSD will turn 38 by the time 2019 World Cup will start but let’s not forget, Misbah, at 42, is still leading Pakistan in Test matches, which is more demanding on the body. Who’s to say, if Dhoni can continue in his same vein of fitness, will we see him after all in the 2019 World Cup, leading India for one last hurrah?