There are two big questions surrounding the Indian team at the moment - who will be the new head coach and what will be the future of MS Dhoni? While the question around the head coach can wait, the speculations around what Dhoni's future holds finds new wings every day. Jumping into the discussion, former India opener Gautam Gambhir has said that the wicket-keeper batsman needs to step away in order to make the position available for young players like Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant.
"India now have a chance to give opportunities to youngsters. Be it Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan or any other wicketkeeper, whoever is believed to have the potential should be made the wicket-keeper. Give him chances for one and half-years and if he doesn't perform, then others should be tried out as well. Then one would get to know who the keeper for the next World Cup is," Gambhir told TV9 Bharatvarsh.
Future of Dhoni for West Indies tour uncertain
The left-hander even cited the example of the time when Dhoni was at the helm of affairs back in 2012 when he was not comfortable with Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir playing together as he wanted to invest in young players and give them a long rope before the 2011 World Cup. Hence, he urged the selectors and Dhoni himself to take a more pragmatic decision without being too emotional about the same.
'It's important to look into the future. And when Dhoni was the captain, he invested in the future. I remember Dhoni saying in Australia that me, Sachin and Sehwag can't play the CB series (in Australia) together as the grounds were big. He thought young players were needed for the next World Cup. It's necessary to take practical decisions than being emotional,' Gambhir added.
The Indian team for the tour of West Indies is slated to be announced soon and as of now, there is absolutely no clarity over what the future holds for Dhoni. There have been different reports which suggest that the former Indian captain has opted out of the tour and also the selectors have told him that he no longer remains the first-choice wicket-keeper of the Indian side.
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