Former opening batsman Gautam Gambhir believes there are slim chances of his ex-teammate Mahendra Singh Dhoni making a comeback to the Indian cricket team.
Speaking to Star Sports, Gambhir said that the postponement of the Indian Premier League has left no scope for Dhoni to mount a comeback.
“If the IPL does not happen this year, then it will become very difficult for MS Dhoni to make a comeback. On what basis can he be selected since he’s not been playing for the last one or one and a half year,” Gambhir said.
Gambhir said it’s the right time for the Indian team to move on and find stick to any one player as Dhoni’s replacement. He suggested that KL Rahul is the right choice for the wicketkeeper’s role going ahead.
“The apt replacement for Dhoni could be KL Rahul. Ever since he has donned the ’keeper’s gloves in white-ball cricket, I’ve seen his performance, both batting and ’keeping. Obviously his ‘keeping is not as good as Dhoni’s, but if you are looking at T20 cricket, Rahul’s a utility player, can ‘keep and bat at No 3 or 4,” he said.
“If the IPL does not happen, then MS Dhoni’s chances for a comeback look dim. Ultimately, you are representing India, so whoever dishes out the best performance and can win the match for India should play for the team,” he said.
Gambhir said that it is up to Dhoni to choose when he brings down the curtains on his career. “As far as his retirement plans go, that’s his personal choice,” he said.