Venkatapathy Raju ducked the bouncer regarding MS Dhoni's possible comeback to international cricket. But the former spinner did say it is important the legendary wicketkeeper batsman proves his fitness and form playing some sort of competitive cricket if he is to return at the highest level.
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“Any player has to keep playing and performing to be in the contention," Raju told Sportstar. "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."
“Playing international cricket is never easy. It demands a different level of fitness and skills. For that, you have to be in the thick of it," he added. "I remember how I struggled coming back into Indian team after a three-year gap because of the totally different kind of intensive training in the Indian team as compared to playing Ranji or other first-class tournaments."
Raju was part of the national selection panel, headed then by chairman Dilip Vengsarkar, when Dhoni was appointed captain of India in 2007. "The guiding principle of the panel was simple - only consistent performers and match-winners will be considered for selection," he said. "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."
“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,” added Raju.
“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."
Under Dhoni, India enjoyed a great run in white-ball cricket, winning three major world titles, including the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy either side of the historic 2011 ODI World Cup win, apart from becoming the No.1 Test side as per the ICC rankings for the very first time.
The 38-year-old relinquished his post in January 2017, turning up since as a player under Virat Kohli. But with the decline in his performances, there has been a lot of talk around his potential retirement, a topic on which Dhoni has characteristically kept his cards close to his chest.
(Inputs from Sportstar)
