Dhoni the 'best wicketkeeper in the world'

MS Dhoni’s ability with the gloves trumps any concerns about his up-and-down batting form, according to India’s selectors, who have declared the veteran the ‘best wicketkeeper in the world’.

Dhoni was included in the 15-player Champions Trophy squad belatedly named by the Board of Control for Cricket in India on Monday after a two-week delay.

The 35-year-old stood down from the national limited-overs captaincy in January, handing the reins to Virat Kohli, but has remained part of India’s ODI and T20 squads.

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His form since handing over the limited-overs captaincy has been mixed, the veteran scoring 6, 134 and 25 in January’s three-match ODI series against England, before knocks of 36no, 5 and 56 in the Twenty20 International series that followed.

Dhoni has also scored 235 runs in 12 innings at an average of 26.11 for Rising Pune Supergiant in the ongoing Indian Premier League.

He has one half-century to his name for the tournament, an unbeaten 61 that led his team to victory over David Warner’s Sunrisers Hyderabad, while he has been typically sharp behind the stumps, pulling off four catches and two stumpings.

But chairman of selectors MSK Prasad believes too much emphasis has been placed on Dhoni’s batting form, saying his performances behind the stumps are paramount.

"How many of us believe this fact that MSD is still the best wicketkeeper in the world? We still believe he is still the best wicketkeeper,” Prasad said when asked whether Dhoni’s batting form was part of the selection committee’s discussion.

"(People) are only focusing on his batting form.

"He is an invaluable asset to this team when it comes to crunch situations.

"(On) his inputs, he has got one of the best brains and he is the best person to guide Virat.

"Not many people realise that in the last 10 to 15 years that he has been playing for the country, he has never had a bad day with the wicketkeeping gloves.

"We always treat him more like a batsman, but the phenomenal stuff that he does behind the wickets… not many people appreciate it.

"According to me, he is still the best wicketkeeper in the world."

His inclusion means up-and-coming wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant – who impressed with a match-winning 97 last week for Delhi Daredevils and has 281 runs to his name in IPL10 - was left on the sidelines for the tournament in England and Wales, but Prasad said the 19-year-old was a player of the future.

"We are completely impressed by how Rishabh Pant is playing. It's just combination because of which he missed out,” the selector said.

"He is one cricketer we are looking at for our future. He is definitely a solution for our future.

"There is no need to worry as he has a long career ahead of him. We will groom him and back him. We will ensure that he is successful in future."

Champions Trophy 2017 Guide

Squads: Every Champions Trophy squad named so far

Group A: Australia, New Zealand, England, Bangladesh.

Group B: India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan.

Schedule

Warm-up matches

26 May – Australia v Sri Lanka, The Oval

27 May – Bangladesh v Pakistan, Edgbaston

28 May – India v New Zealand, The Oval

29 May – Australia v Pakistan, Edgbaston

30 May – New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Edgbaston

30 May – Bangladesh vs India, The Oval

Tournament

1 June – England v Bangladesh, The Oval (Day)

2 June – Australia v New Zealand, Edgbaston (D)

3 June – Sri Lanka v South Africa, The Oval (D)

4 June – India v Pakistan, Edgbaston (D)

5 June – Australia v Bangladesh, The Oval (D/N)

6 June – England v New Zealand, Cardiff (D)

7 June – Pakistan v South Africa, Edgbaston (D/N)

8 June – India v Sri Lanka, The Oval (D)

9 June – New Zealand v Bangladesh, Cardiff (D)

10 June – England v Australia, Edgbaston (D)

11 June – India v South Africa, The Oval (D)

12 June – Sri Lanka v Pakistan, Cardiff (D)

14 June – First semi-final (A1 v B2), Cardiff (D)

15 June – Second semi-final (A2 v B1), Edgbaston (D)

18 June – Final, The Oval (D)

19 June – Reserve day (D)