Dhoni still the best wicket keeper around says former Indian cricketer Nayan Mongia

Mongia shares the record for most dismissals by an Indian Wicket-keeper in a Test with Dhoni

Amidst a storm of criticism regarding Dhoni’s recent form, former wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia backed the current captain to lead the country at least till next year’s ICC World T20. He believes that the Indian skipper is still the safest wicketkeeper in the world and should keep being an ideal leader for the team on the field.

“It’s just a matter time. I always feel that the captain is as good as his team. If the team is not performing then you start blaming the captain. He is a wonderful player. His average, which is one of the best, speaks for him.”

“As a batsman he is just phenomenal and he has been consistent for years. So I don’t see any reason why people are criticizing him this way,” Mongia told PTI.

Talking about his personal favorites in the wicket keeping department in world cricket the former Indian cricketer stated, “After Gilchrist retired, we have Dhoni, who is very good. Then we have South Africa’s de Cock along with AB (de Villiers) in T20 who is equally good. “

According to the former cricketer who holds the record for most catches in a test match by an Indian wicketkeeper, there is no one better than Dhoni to lead the team during next year’s World T20.

Dhoni’s ideal backup is Robin Uthappa: Mongia

“It is very difficult for me to say how many years Dhoni can continue playing for the team. Only he can comment on how long he wants to continue. But I don’t see any problem for him to not continue till at least the T20 tournament next year. He is just fantastic and I think he should be given the honor of deciding his retirement,” Mongia added.

On the topic of Dhoni’s ideal backup, Mongia, said that Robin Utthapa should have been his best choice for replacing, the current Indian keeper whereas others like Wriddhiman Saha and Naman Ojhan equally deserve to be in the team.

“It is true that over a period of time we will have to look for a keeper other than Dhoni, especially for ODIs and T20s, For Test matches Wriddhiman Saha is there. Naman Ojha got an opportunity recently and he is decent. Also these two players have the experience of playing domestic cricket for a long time now. Also they have been performing well for India A over the last few months. So I am sure that with these three keepers, Dhoni, Saha and Ojha, the Indian team is in safe hands,”

“But I was really looking forward to Robin Uthappa when he got a chance in Zimbabwe. Somehow he didn’t live up to the expectations. Otherwise he would have been my ideal choice for T20 and ODI format. I am a big fan of him,” Mongia added.

Dhoni was finally able to answer his critics with an unbeaten match-winning 92 against South Africa in the second one-day international in Indore yesterday. This particular knock will give the captain lot more confidence in upcoming matches.