Dhoni can be 80, in a wheelchair, and he would still play for my team: AB de Villiers

Dhoni’s numbers with the bat has not been good in the recent past and this has prompted plenty of debates and deliberations overs his position in the side.

Amidst the ongoing debate over the form and position of MS Dhoni in the Indian side, former South African captain AB de Villiers has thrown his weight behind the wicket-keeper.

File Photo: AB de Villiers supports MS Dhoni (IDI via Getty Images)

De Villiers called the criticism funny and said that India are lucky to have a person with such a stellar record.

“You guys are funny. No, I would play MS Dhoni in my team every day of every year. He can be 80, in a wheelchair, and he would still play for my team. He is fantastic I mean look at his record. You want to drop a guy like that? You can go ahead by all means. I wouldn’t,” de Villiers was as quoted by ANI.

Dhoni’s numbers with the bat has not been good in the recent past and this has prompted plenty of debates and deliberations overs his position in the side. Despite India’s dominance in ODI cricket, there is a huge concern as far as the middle-order is concerned and this is where Dhoni has struggled.

In 10 innings this year, MS Dhoni, has laboured to 225 runs at a strike rate of 67.36.

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly too backed Dhoni to come good in the World Cup and believed that the ongoing series against the West Indies is a big one for the seasoned campaigner.

“I don’t know what combination they are thinking at. But I’m sure he (Dhoni) will do well in the World Cup. It’s (against West Indies) big series for him,” Ganguly said before the 1st ODI.