Michael Clarke wants MS Dhoni to be part of Kohli's World Cup team

Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke could not stop lauding the match-winning effort of MS Dhoni for Rising Pune Supergiant in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. RPS were reeling in the bottom half of the points table prior to the game. A thrilling win has now propelled them among the top four in the points table. From being in a position of no return, they suddenly look good for the playoffs.

The credit largely goes to the calmness that MS Dhoni provided during the run chase. He scored an unbeaten 61 off just 34 balls to help RPS win by 4 wickets in the key nail-biting encounter. As per the recent quotes in India Today, Michael Clarke remarked that this was not the first time Dhoni has done this. He has managed to do the same for the different teams that he has played for in his career.

“MS Dhoni has done this to a lot of different international teams in his career and he did it again for Pune. We have seen how much class MS Dhoni has. We saw a lot of doubters who were wondering whether Dhoni was good enough to score runs again and whether he was good enough to handle not having the captaincy of the Pune team, I think MS Dhoni has answered every question that has been thrown at him with one performance with the bat,” quoted Michael Clarke.

He further added that the wicket-keeping by Dhoni has been top class. Hence, the only aspect of the game where he needs to shine is the batting department. He loved the move by the team management to promote Dhoni at number 4 in the batting lineup.

“I think his wicket-keeping has been a stand out in this current IPL and he just needed an opportunity to stand out with the bat, he got that last night and grabbed it with both hands. Finally, MS Dhoni is batting at No.4 for Pune and he is finally winning games for Pune. If Steve Smith is making that decision then it is a very smart one,” he quoted.

In the recent times, there have been many who have doubted the place of Dhoni in the Indian team. Many believe that it is perhaps the end of the road in Dhoni’s illustrious career. Michael Clarke chooses to differ though. He says that it is utmost necessary for the Indian team to have the services of Dhoni in the Champions Trophy this year. Also, he wants to see Dhoni in the ICC World Cup 2019.

“It is a no-brainer, MS Dhoni has to be in India’s Champions Trophy squad. His No.1 role is to be the wicket-keeper and his keeping has been outstanding for some time now. So there was never any doubt in my mind that MS Dhoni has to be in the Champions Trophy squad and in my opinion he will play a part in the World Cup as well, if India wants to win those tournaments then I think MS Dhoni needs to be a part of that. His experience is going to be crucial especially in conditions in England,” quoted the former Australian captain.

Elaborating on the same note, Clarke stressed on the fact that having Dhoni in the team will be of great help for skipper Virat Kohli. He cited that Steve Smith has been doing the same in taking help from Dhoni in the RPS camp in the ongoing season of IPL.

“Also his leadership, even if he is not captain anymore, his leadership will still play a part. Virat knows he can go to Dhoni if he needs him as Steve Smith does with this Pune team, if Smith needs advice or is unsure about any decision, he has got MS Dhoni’s leadership right there. So it will be silly not to utilize that, for anybody to have MS Dhoni in their team is a bonus,” conceded Clarke.