Some jealous people are waiting to see end of Dhoni’s international career: Ravi Shastri

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has arguably been one of India’s standout cricketers over the past decade and a half. From being a swashbuckling personality to transforming himself into a calm and composed figure, Dhoni’s journey has been no less than captivating. However, there are ups and downs in the career of every cricketer. MS Dhoni is no exception. Of late, he has been struggling with form, which has drawn criticism for the former Indian skipper.

However, the Indian team management and head coach Ravi Shastri are right behind the wicketkeeper-batsman backing him with utmost trust. In an exclusive interview with Anandbazar Patrika, a Bengali daily, Shastri bashed the people who wish to see the end of Dhoni’s international career.

“Looks like there are a lot of jealous people around, who just want Dhoni to have a couple of bad days…. There are a few people who are waiting to see the end of MS Dhoni. But great players like him decide their own future,” Shastri said.

He also hailed Dhoni’s traits as a cricketer and commented on the stature of the cricketer from Ranchi. In the former Indian all-rounder’s view the 36-year-old is a great leader and an ultimate team-man someone the team needs.

“It (the criticism) doesn’t make a difference to me. In our mind, we know where Dhoni stands within the team. He is an ultimate team-man. He was a great leader and now an ultimate team-man,” the head coach added.

He further went on to term him one of India’s greatest cricketers and a legend.

“Dhoni is a superstar. He is one of our greatest cricketers. So he is always going to be a great topic. He is always going to be a topic because he is a legend. When you have a career as glorious as that, you become a topic on television.” he added.

Dhoni is far from finished

MS is 36 years and speculations have started creeping in regarding his retirement from the international circuit. However, time and again, he has proved that he hasn’t run out of steam just yet and has a fair bit to offer to Indian cricket. A cricketer might struggle for a couple of games here and there, but it doesn’t define the player’s attributes, certainly not in case of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.