Hyderabad: Former Indian wicket-keeper batsman and IPL governing council member Surinder Khanna expressed that former India captain MS Dhoni is a legendary player and needs to play domestic cricket to get back in the Team India.
In an exclusive interview with Etv Bharat Khanna said," It is very important that Dhoni plays domestic cricket to get back his place in Team. Everyone knows that he is a great cricketer. What he has done for India in the last decade, his stats, his performance proves that he is one of the greatest cricketers in the world. But Dhoni has to play and show he has enthusiasm and fitness. The rest is up to the selectors," Khanna said.
When asked, if Rishabh Pant has failed to fill in the shoes of MS Dhoni, he added," It is unfair on Pant to be compared with a legend like Dhoni. Even Dhoni replaced someone in the team. There are a lot of young talented wicket-keeper batsmen who are coming into the picture."
"Pant is an outstanding talent but he needs to be consistent and need to convert the opportunities that he has got. The game is totally in his favour as he has the backing of head coach Ravi Shastri and skipper Virat Kohli. Pant has played some awesome innings in Test matches in England and Australia and now he has to put his best foot forward in ODI and T20I," he added.
In the recently concluded Test series against South Africa, Wriddhiman Saha was chosen over Pant as a wicket-keeper batsman. Saha proved that Virat made the right choice by taking some extraordinary catches. When asked if Pant's wicket-keeping abilities cost him place in the Test Khanna said that Saha is the best wicket-keeper not just in India but in the world and he was not dropped from the side but he was just injured.
When asked about the IPL auction, which is to be held in Kolkatta on December 19, the 63-year old said, "The franchises are gearing up for the IPL 2020. Every team has appointed talent spotter and experienced member to get good quality players. We in IPL governing council are creating great support staff and providing them with the best facilities."
