Will Champions Trophy be Dhoni's last tournament?
India will enter the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy as the defending champions of the tournament. While this will be the first ICC tournament for Virat Kohli as the team captain, eyes will be on MS Dhoni, whose performance will be critically analyzed. With a lot of young cricketers showing promise, the selectors will be under pressure to drop Dhoni and select the new guns.
Dhoni's achievements in shorter formats of the game
Under Dhoni's captaincy India won all the three ICC cups - 2007 World T20, 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy. He is the only captain to achieve this feat. In the ODIs, Dhoni has an average of 72.02 in wins and this is why he is considered to be one of the greatest finishers in this format of the game.
Dhoni's performance in the recent past
After giving up the captaincy of ODIs and T20s earlier this year, Dhoni has played one three-match ODI and another T20 series against England. In the ODI series, he scored 165 runs with an average of 55.00, including a century. Dhoni played an important innings of 56-runs in the third T20 match against England, helping India put on 202 runs on the scoreboard.
Dhoni in the 2017 IPL
The 35-year old did not have a good start to the tournament. However, after a couple of matches Dhoni went on to hit a few biggies, scoring 235 runs from 12 matches. His stumpings and catches in the tournament have been impeccable.
Do we have Dhoni's replacement in ODIs and T20s?
Delhi wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant is being looked as a replacement for Dhoni in the shorter formats. Pant has impressed everyone with his excellent batting skills. Whether the 19-year old is mature enough to grab a place in the Indian team is a matter of debate, there is no doubt that he is one of the few players capable to replace Dhoni .
Or have we already found Dhoni's alternative?
Lokesh Rahul is another player who might replace Dhoni when the time comes. He has already established himself as a top batsman. The 25-year old had a memorable ODI debut, scoring a century in his very first match.
Our take
One of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen in the world, and an extremely intelligent cricketer, MS Dhoni is currently irreplaceable. His experience will also be useful to guide the new captain Virat in his early days.
