Ganguly questions Dhoni’s role in 2019 World Cup

Former skipper threw his support behind Kohli to lead India in limited-overs as well

Former skipper Sourav Ganguly on Monday questioned Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s role as India's captain in 2019 World Cup.

Speaking at a sports show on India Today, the 43-year-old said he would be surprised if Dhoni goes on to lead India in 2019 World Cup. “Dhoni has been fantastic in the way he has gone about his job as captain, but does he have the ability in the next couple of years to see India into the World Cup in 2019?” he asked.

The limited-overs captain has come under fire lately after India crashed out of the World T20, despite being the favourites to lift the trophy at home. Similarly, his side in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), Supergiants Pune franchise (RPS), are also struggling at the seventh position, with only four games remaining.



Dhoni already retired from Tests in 2014, handing over the mantle of leadership to Virat Kohli, who is favoured to captain India in all formats of the game.

Ganguly also threw his support behind Kohli, lauding the latter’s performances with the Indian national team as well as with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL.

“Virat Kohli is getting better every time. He is probably the best in the world in terms of consistency. His mental energy, tenacity is unreal. His attitude on the field is superb. And his record as Test captain has been good,” he said.

“So the selectors need to find an answer to whether they see Dhoni leading India in 2019? If the answer is no, then find a new captain. If the answer is yes, which I will find very surprising, Dhoni continues,” he added.



Kohli has averaged 52.70 as Test captain and has slammed four centuries in his 10-match stint so far. In one-days, he has led India in 17 matches with an average of 70.83, including four hundreds.

However, Ganguly backed Dhoni to continue playing international cricket, claiming that India still needs him. “I am not saying he needs to quit cricket, I feel he should continue to play in the shorter formats,” he said. “India still needs him in limited-overs cricket.”