Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting on Saturday backed Mahendra Singh Dhoni to come good at the upcoming Champions Trophy in June.
“I think he can be an important player in that Indian team, especially with his experience,” said Ponting to cricket.com.au. “Batting in the middle order, he’s someone who can really control a one-day innings. And that might be what you need in England. If the ball does a bit early on, there’s a chance India could lose top-order wickets and you’d need someone in the middle order to guide the ship.”
The former Aussie great also said that the criticism Dhoni is currently facing is a result of the massive success he has enjoyed previously.
“I think it’s a downside of having the great success that he’s had over a long period of time,” said Ponting. “I’ve been there myself and when you start to slide just a little bit, criticism is going to come your way. And to be fair, he probably hasn’t had much negativity come his way over the past 15 or 20 years. So it’ll be really interesting to see how he handles that over the coming weeks.”
But he warned not to write Dhoni off: “Things can turn around in this game pretty quickly and one thing I’ve learned in this game with champion players is to never write them off. They always find a way to keep coming back. He’ll find a way and he’ll win games for his team.”
Ponting also suggested that the decision on when Dhoni should retire from the game should be taken only by him and no one else. “I’m not ever going to tell anyone when it’s time to go or retire,” said the Aussie legend. “That’s up to the champions to make their own mind up.”
While Ponting admitted that Rising Pune Supergiant’s decision to drop Dhoni from the captaincy was “strange”, he pointed out that the 35-year-old’s future depended on his hunger.
“We’re talking about someone who’s 35 years of age and has pretty much achieved everything in the game. He’s won a World Cup, he’s captained his team to be the No.1 Test team in the world, he’s captained IPL-winning teams as well,” said Ponting.
“There’s not much left for him to achieve out of the game. It’s going to come down to how hungry he is and how much he wants it.”
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!