Whether MS Dhoni wants to come back or not is for him to decide, says Ravi Shastri

10/09/2019

India head coach Ravi Shastri has said that although the management is open to MS Dhoni's return, ultimately the decision rested with Dhoni himself. Shastri also lauded the comebacks of the ‘world-class’ Ravichandran Ashwin and the ‘world’s best’ Wriddhiman Saha for the series against South Africa.

Ever since the heartbreaking loss to New Zealand in the semi-final of the recently concluded World Cup, the world has not seen MS Dhoni play another cricket match. And it seems that India’s re-appointed head coach hasn’t seen him at all since returning from England.

“He will go down as one of our greatest players, very, very high up the list. Two World Cups, role model, what he has done for CSK, for the white-ball game, on top of that he’s played 90 Tests. Whether he wants to come back, that’s for him to decide. I have not met him after the World Cup. He has to first start playing and let’s see how things go. I don’t think he has started playing after the World Cup. If he is keen, he will definitely let the selectors know,” Shastri told Sportstar.

Two other players who did make a comeback into the Test outfit was the off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin — who picked up eight wickets in his first outing since December — and Saha — who has been touted as India’s No. 1 pick after his recovery from injury.

“(On Ashwin) He’s world-class. A top-class off-spinner. But the demands of the game are such that you got to keep at it, perform match after match. You cannot afford to rest on your laurels. It’s the same with everyone in the team,” Shastri said.

“Saha was injured and that was the reason Pant came into the Test side. Saha is the best ‘keeper in the world, and at home, where the bounce can be variable, his ‘keeping is invaluable. Pant has scored Test hundreds in England and Australia, is talented, but he is still very young and has the time to improve his ‘keeping,” he continued.

Till late January, the Men in Blue will stick to playing at home, where they will entertain the likes of Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Australia. However, they will only play red-ball cricket in two encounters against Bangladesh before their long tour of New Zealand next year.

“We won a Test series in Australia after 71 years. West Indies had beaten a strong England team at home in Tests and we absolutely smashed them. We like to go and play against tough teams in their backyard. We are confident against New Zealand. We are the No. 1 team in the world,” Shastri said.

Ahead of the second of three Test matches against South Africa, skipper Virat Kohli had addressed the media where he said that his team constantly looks for answers, and not excuses, in order to improve with each match. Shastri prefers to look at the team philosophy in a slightly different way.

“This Indian team is about the team and not individuals. Some tough calls have to be made. Imagine Kuldeep Yadav not playing a Test since his five-wicket innings haul in Sydney. It is never nice or easy to tell people who have performed that you are not picked. But this is about the team,” Shastri added.

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Whether MS Dhoni wants to come back or not is for him to decide, says Ravi Shastri

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