Sehwag picks between Dhoni and Pant for World Cup 2019
With India's Asia Cup campaign set to begin in a few days, fans will get to witness MS Dhoni back in action. He last played in an ODI against England on July 17.
The former Indian captain has had a decent outing in ODIs this year but would surely like to improve on his performances in the upcoming Asia Cup.
With the World Cup coming up next year in England, the big question is whether Dhoni would be included in the squad or not. Youngster Rishabh Pant has been knocking on the doors for quite some time now and if he proves himself, he might just replace Dhoni in the playing XI.
However, former Indian batsman Virender Sehwag feels that Dhoni should be the one to play in the 2019 World Cup.
“In my personal opinion, MS Dhoni should continue till the 2019 World Cup. Even if you play Pant in ODIs from now, he won’t be able to play more than 15-16 ODIs till the World Cup which is far less compared to Dhoni, who has played over 300 ODIs. I would want Dhoni to continue till the World Cup,” Sehwag was quoted as saying on India TV.
Sehwag spoke about Pant's ability to hit sixes and take over Dhoni once he retires. However, he feels that Dhoni would be the best fit for India in England next year.
“Pant is someone who can hit sixes at his will, but when you talk about Dhoni, he has won matches single-handedly for the country. So Pant has the right kind of the temperament to be a perfect heir for him. I want Dhoni to hand the baton to Pant when he hangs his boots,” he added.
India's first match of the Asia Cup is against Hong Kong on September 18 in Dubai.