If I was a selector, I would pick both MS Dhoni and Adam Gilchrist in my playing XI: Sushma Verma
Indian wicketkeeper-batswoman Sushma Verma has stated that if she was a selector, she would pick both MS Dhoni and Adam Gilchrist in the playing XI and would leave out an opener.
In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Sushma Verma spoke about how she admires Dhoni and Gilchrist as wicketkeeper-batsmen.
Verma spoke at length about how MS Dhoni played a crucial role for his team by coming to bat down the order and scoring vital runs to finish games. She believes that the skill of finishing a game is something that the former Indian skipper has mastered, adding that no one comes close to him in that regard.
Sushma Verma said:
"I will pick both and will drop one opening batsman. Because they both have different significance. The number at which Dhoni has batted, Adam Gilchrist has not. As an opener, you have enough time and though it is a tricky situation, you have a long time to plan your innings."
She added:
"But the number at which Dhoni has batted, it was always crucial on that number and that's why he was perhaps known as the best finisher in world cricket. The way he has performed on that number, nobody else could have performed that way."
MS Dhoni's class cannot be copied by anyone: Sushma Verma
Adam Gilchrist and MS Dhoni were at their peak in two different eras. Sushma Verma followed Gilchrist in her childhood, and he quickly became her all-time favourite. However, once she saw Dhoni play, she realised that there was no one who is as classy as the 39-year-old legend.
She said:
"Adam Gilchrist was my all-time favourite and at that time Dhoni was nowhere in the picture. But the class that MS Dhoni has, it cannot be copied. SO if I had to pick a middle-order batsman, I would pick Dhoni and if I want to select an opener, I would pick Adam Gilchrist."
MS Dhoni announced his retirement on August 15, bringing an end to one of the most celebrated cricketing careers in history.