Despite the fact that MS Dhoni is one of the best finishers India has ever produced, in recent time he has been just a shadow of his former self on the ground. Former Indian fast bowler Ajit Agarkar reckons that it is the best time for Team India to move ahead with time. The name he prefers as a replacement for the legendary wicket-keeper is Rishabh Pant.

Dhoni’s batting form has been immensely criticized in recent times as he has slowed down in the batting department considerably. In the Asia Cup held recently, he could not produce anything spectacular with the bat though his glovework was impressive. It is MSD’s batting form which is going downhill has raised the clamor for a possible replacement, especially in the run-up to the next World Cup in May-July 2019.

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On the other hand, Pant has been going through a good patch in the Test arena. In his third Test, he slammed his first ton (114) against England at the Oval while in his first Test at home, too, he scored 92 off just 84 balls against the Windies. The noise over Pant’s inclusion in the limited-over cricket has understandably gone high.

During a chat on ESPNcricinfo, Agarkar said, “I can’t believe he (Pant) is not part of India’s shorter format setup. Hopefully, they do that (ODI for Pant) sooner, rather than later, against the West Indies in the ODI series. There are five ODIs and there will be an opportunity to play him somewhere, whether as a batter or a wicketkeeper. I mean you know what Dhoni can do and there is no harm in resting him for a couple of games.”

The former pacer also said that the No.6 slot will be ideal for Pant to bat for he feels the left-hand batsman fits in the top six purely for his hitting ability. India will play the Windies in five ODIs and three T20Is after the two-Test series.