‘India have not found a finisher after MS Dhoni’s retirement’ – Rohit Sharma

India’s limited-overs skipper Rohit Sharma has said that the team hasn’t been able to find a finisher after MS Dhoni’s retirement. Dhoni announce his retirement from international cricket in August 2020. He last played a game for the team in the semifinal of the 2019 50-over World Cup against New Zealand, which they lost by 18 runs.

The former wicketkeeper-batter has batted at the number five, six, and seven positions for most of his career in ODIs and fourth, fifth, and sixth position in the T20Is. He averaged more than 50 in these batting positions, which is considered astonishing, given not many batters have that kind of batting averages in those positions. The Ranchi-born player amassed 10773 runs in 50-over format overall while accumulating 1617 runs in the 20-over format.

Meanwhile, Sharma said that the team has tried guys like Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja but they need to build more backups for the finishing roles.

“Finisher’s role in ODI is very important but since MS Dhoni’s retirement we haven’t got anyone who could fit in that role,” Rohit said on the eve of the first ODI against the West Indies.

“We have tried Hardik, even Jadeja has played but we need to create more back-ups for that slot. The boys who will be getting chance in the series, hopefully, they will utilise those chances and consolidate their position in the team.

“A finisher bats at a crucial phase, and often, his contribution could be a game-changer.”