'It was a unanimous decision': Former BCCI official gives verdict on why MS Dhoni was appointed as Team India skipper
Former Team India spinner Venkatapathy Raju has expressed his thoughts on why MS Dhoni was appointed as the Indian captain.
Back in 2007, Raju was part of the official selection committee which appointed Dhoni as the Team India skipper.
“Any player has to keep playing and performing to be in the contention. Be it domestic, India-A series or any other competitive cricket. You don’t have to prove to others, but prove to yourself that you belong there," Raju told Sportstar in an interview.
Former Team India spinner Venkatapathy Raju has expressed his thoughts on why MS Dhoni was appointed as the Indian captain.
Back in 2007, Raju was part of the official selection committee which appointed Dhoni as the Team India skipper.
“Any player has to keep playing and performing to be in the contention. Be it domestic, India-A series or any other competitive cricket. You don’t have to prove to others, but prove to yourself that you belong there," Raju told Sportstar in an interview.
Ever since the announcement of central contracts for Team India by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been made, the one thing everyone noticed was the exclusion of Dhoni.
With questions over the wicketkeeper-batsman's retirement doing the rounds, the decision to exclude him just gave rise to more speculations.
Since India's semi-final exit from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 against New Zealand in August last year, MSD made himself unavailable for selection. During his break from cricket, the 38-year-old also served for the Indian Army too.
"The guiding principle of the panel was simple - only consistent performers and match-winners will be considered for selection. We could do this because we watched most of the matches with focus on certain fringe players, who could go on to play for India. This is where the India-A series concept really helped us," the former cricketer claimed.
“So, when it came to naming Dhoni the captain, he was the only one performing under pressure. His calmness and the way he handled things impressed all of us. It was a unanimous decision by the panel and we decided to go with him."
“The other reason being many of the players, who were senior to him, were coming back from injuries or long breaks. So, we thought Dhoni was the best option and now we have no regrets given his phenomenal achievements as a player and a leader," he further added.
Earlier this month, a BCCI source had claimed that MS will be back in contention for India's T20 World Cup squad if his performances are above per in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year.
The kick-off of the 13th edition of the IPL was postponed as a precautionary measure against the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation in India.
BCCI on Friday (March 13) decided to suspend IPL 2020 till April 15, 2020.