Can’t Drop Dhoni Even if He Was 80, in Wheelchair: AB de Villiers

“I would play MS Dhoni in my team every day of every year,” said AB de Villiers.

AB de Villiers plays a shot during an ODI as MS Dhoni looks on.

(Photo: Reuters)

The debate may continue over the form and position of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in current scheme of things in the Indian side, but former South African captain AB de Villiers has put his weight behind India’s most successful captain.

Mr 360, as AB de Villiers is fondly called due to his ability to hit all around the ground, dismissed all criticism against Dhoni, calling them ridiculous. In fact, he stressed on the fact that India should feel lucky to have a person among the ranks with such an envious record.

“You guys are funny. No, I would play MS Dhoni in my team every day of every year. He can be 80, in a wheelchair, and he would still play for my team. He is fantastic I mean look at his record. You want to drop a guy like that? You can go ahead by all means. I wouldn’t.”

AB de Villiers

Despite India’s superlative performance in ODIs, Dhoni’s form with the bat dipped consistently since the Champions Trophy 2017 in England. This has led to his critics questioning his selection and position in the side. Not only lack of runs but the at pace at which they have been scored have made it little difficult for Dhoni.

In the ten innings this year so far, MS Dhoni, has managed to score only 225 runs at a strike rate of 67.36.

Not only de Villiers, Dhoni also found support from Sourav Ganguly. The former Indian captain believes Dhoni will come back strongly in the World Cup.

“I don’t know what combination they are thinking at. But I’m sure he (Dhoni) will do well in the World Cup. It’s (against West Indies) big series for him.”

Sourav Ganguly