Shoaib Akhtar boldly calls Manish Pandey as MS Dhoni's replacement in India's ODI team

MS Dhoni's future with Team India has come under serious question after he was dropped from the list of central contracts for 2020 by the BCCI. Dhoni has not played a single game for India since their loss to New Zealand in the World Cup 2019 semi-finals and his future is under scrutiny. The former Indian captain has been on a sabbatical, which he is set to end during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 this year. While Team India is finding a player who can take the mantle of finishers role his absence of Dhoni, former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar has zeroed in on one Indian player who fits the bill perfectly.  

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Shoaib Akhtar backs Manish Pandey to replace MS Dhoni

Team India have been trying to find players who can finish the game for the side in pressure situations but have failed to find one. In the last series against Australia, KL Rahul was asked to don wicketkeeper gloves and also batted at number 5 due to a concussion to Rishabh Pant. Manish Pandey was also given a go in the final two ODIs, but did not get enough balls to stake a claim as the finisher in the side. However, Shoaib Akhtar on his YouTube channel has backed Pandey to plug the gap which has been left by MS Dhoni. He said that India has finally got Dhoni’s replacement, in the form of Manish Pandey. He even spoke about Shreyas Iyer and said that the Mumbai batsman looks a complete player and these two (Iyer & Pandey) add depth to India’s batting. 

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Shoaib Akhtar on Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey 

Shoaib Akhtar in the video said that Iyer and Pandey have played a lot in the IPL and know how to handle pressure, they do not care about their opponents or a challenging situation but rather just come and play their game. Recently, the 44-year-old had said that Virat Kohli's India is better than Sourav Ganguly's team in 2000. Heaping praise on Virat Kohli, he said that he is an exceptional leader and very tough mentally. He added that Kohli doesn't give up after setbacks and his boys know how to mount a comeback under pressure. 

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