MS Dhoni has been in the worst of form with the bat given that his last fifty in ODIs came in December 2017 which he made off 87 balls against Sri Lanka in Dharamsala. Since then in 13 ODI matches, his top score has been 42 off 43 balls against South Africa in Centurion early this year.

His brilliance in the 50-over cricket earned him two ICC titles and the tag of the sharpest brains in the format. But this time, the numbers and the age have caught up with him and the boos he heard from the Indian contingent at Lord’s recently have raised questions about his place in the team in 2019 World Cup.

A telling sign came when he was dropped from the T20I side for the Windies and Australia T20I series, making Dhoni fans wonder what the future holds for the once mercurial Indian captain.

However, former India spinner Murali Kartik has put his faith in Dhoni and said in an interview to Firstpost, "He is an integral part of the team and should be part of the side because of what he adds to the team."

He said, "Not the sheer volume of runs, it is what he (Dhoni) brings to the side as a senior player. With a great head, a wicket-keeper and everything put together, he is an entire package, not just the runs on the board."

(with inputs from firstpost.com)