Dhoni will definitely play the 2019 World Cup, says Hooper

Former West Indies skipper Carl Hooper opines that former India skipper M.S. Dhoni won't be left out from the 2019 World Cup squad.

M.S Dhoni's poor batting form saw him getting dropped from the India T20Is.

Ever since the national selection committee has left out Mahendra Singh Dhoni from the T20I squads for the series against the West Indies and Australia, the cricketing circles have been busy discussing about Dhoni’s future in international cricket.

While there is a buzz that Dhoni may not feature in the T20I internationals again, his poor form in the ongoing ODI series against the Windies, has also left his fans guessing whether he will continue till next year’s World Cup.

But former Windies captain, Carl Hooper, who is in the country to commentate on the ongoing series, believes that Dhoni will ‘definitely’ be selected for next year’s World Cup.

“I don’t know about him in T20s, but certainly in World Cup, he will be selected. He has played more than 300 ODIs for India, his experience will be valuable,” Hooper, who had captained the Windies in the 2003 World Cup, told Sportstar .

The former captain has been observing Dhoni in the ongoing series and he indicates that even now, India captain Virat Kohli is a bit of dependent on Dhoni while taking a few on-field decisions.

“I have seen Virat actually consult him on a number of occasions. I actually see him being selected for 50 overs format,” Hooper said.

While he admits that one ‘cannot play forever’, Hooper is of the opinion that the national selectors should keep Dhoni in the loop about the future plans.

Carl Hooper is in the country to commentate on the ongoing India vs West Indies series.

 

“I am sure the selectors would speak to Dhoni and would indicate which direction they wanted to go in. He has served India well for a long time and is a former captain, so he deserves this much,” Hooper said.

One of the successful leaders of Windies, Hooper was axed as the captain after the 2003 World Cup, which eventually turned out to be his last outing.

Speaking from experience, Hooper said: “Dhoni will be disappointed to have been dropped (from the T20s) but I am sure that the team has communicated with him well (about the road ahead). He still has the World Cup to look forward to,” the 51-year-old said.

Making it clear that eventually every cricketer will retire, Hooper believes that Dhoni should be allowed to hang up his boots on his terms.

“You have to stop somewhere. But stopping is not the issue. The issue is you stop on your terms and (to ensure) that the selectors have communicated,” the former captain from the Caribbean said.