Dhoni should be allowed to retire when he wants, says Engineer

Farokh Engineer believes that the Indian limited-overs captain has served India well

Former Indian wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer came out in support of India’s limited-overs captain MS Dhoni saying that Dhoni should be allowed to retire when he wants to. The Indian captain has been under a lot of scrutiny in the recent past as India lost both the ODI and the T20I series against South Africa.

Engineer was speaking to the media at the Calcutta Sports Journalists’ Club, Times of India reports. He believed that Dhoni has done a commendable job so far and that Dhoni would come back strongly and answer his critics in the appropriate manner.

“Dhoni has done a good job so far. I like him. He reminds me of my younger days. Everyone has his days. He has served the country very well. We shouldn't be too keen on packing him off. We should allow Dhoni to decide when he wants to finish,” Engineer said.

India will be playing the upcoming Test series under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. Engineer believed that Kohli is a talented cricketer and will go on to be a great player for India.

“Kohli is a fantastic cricketer and deserves to be captain. But we need to give him time. We also need to persevere the talent we have,” he said.

Engineer mentioned how he is eagerly waiting to see how India bounce back in the Test series under the leadership of Kohli after losing the T20I and ODI series under the captaincy of Dhoni.

“I think the Tests against South Africa will be a test of character. If they come back from these defeats it will show the grit of the team,” Engineer said.

The former wicketkeeper did not believe that a keeper had to always be a good batsman. According to Engineer, a wicketkeeper has to focus more on his keeping skills than his batting skills.

Engineer was highly critical of former Indian coach Duncan Fletcher and believed that Indian coaches would always do a good job for the country. However, he praised Gary Kirsten for doing a commendable job with the Indian team.

“Coaches always get the flak. I never really rated Fletcher. Who is he? What has he done? Gary Kirsten did a good job, but I have always said Indian manager is better,” Engineer said.

The 77-year-old believed that Test cricket was the “pinnacle of cricket”. He lamented the number of people who watched the England-Pakistan Test matches.

Engineer represented India in 46 Test matches and scored 2611 runs which included two centuries and 16 half-centuries. He played most of his innings as an opener. As a wicketkeeper, he picked up 82 dismissals that included 66 catches and 16 stumpings.

India will play the first Test against South Africa on November 5 in Mohali. It remains to be seen if Kohli can lead his side to a series victory against the Number 1 Test side and regain some pride for the country.