MS Dhoni’s future with the Indian cricket team may be in doubt after the former captain was dropped for the Twenty20 International series against West Indies at home and Australia away, but Sunil Gavaskar believes the 37-year-old should still walk into the team for the World Cup next year.

Dhoni has returned scores of 20, 7, and 23 in the ongoing ODI series against West Indies but Gavaskar, an Indian cricket legend and currently a television pundit, said the wicketkeeper-batsman still adds a lot of value to the Indian team in terms of field placements and guiding bowlers from behind the stumps.

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Gavaskar thinks India captain Virat Kohli will greatly benefit having Dhoni in the team at the World Cup next year. “Virat needs [Dhoni],” Gavaskar said on Star Sports, as quoted by the ICC website. “There’s no doubt about it. In 50 overs where there is that much more time, that’s when MSD comes into play. You know he makes those small field adjustments, talking to the bowlers in Hindi – telling them where to bowl and what to bowl. It’s a huge plus for Virat.”

While there are other experienced players in the Indian team who can also guide Kohli, Gavaskar feels Dhoni’s presence during the World Cup is vital. “MSD is an absolute must for the 2019 World Cup,” he said. “But having said that, I believe, the way Rohit Sharma has come to the party as a captain, as a thinker, as a planner. He has been brilliant.”

He added, “With Rohit coming in and also Ajinkya Rahane, Virat has a couple more shoulders to lean on. Therefore, I think this [is a] move to have MS Dhoni take a break from T20I cricket.”

India’s chief selector MSK Prasad had clarified that Dhoni being dropped from the T20I squad does not mean he will never play for the team in the shortest format of the game. “Dhoni’s not going to play the six T20Is because we’re looking at the second keeper slot,” Prasad had said. It is not the end of Dhoni in T20Is.” Rishabh Pant has been named as the wicket-keeper for both the series.