Pune, December 11: Mohinder Amarnath on Monday joined the chorus against MS Dhoni's continuation as India's Test skipper, saying Dhoni's performances did not merit selection but nobody within the Indian cricket board (BCCI) had the "guts" to remove him.
Known for his plain speaking, the 62-year-old Amarnath, one of the chief architects of India's first World Cup win in 1983, has had a stormy relationship with cricket authorities both during and after his playing days.
A part of the previous selection committee for a while, Amarnath was in line to become chairman of selectors but was removed after alleged differences with the BCCI top brass. It was rumoured he was not in favour of Dhoni's continuation as captain after the string of defeats in England and Australia.
The veteran of 69 Tests, known for his fearless approach while facing fast bowlers, said at a promotional event, "Dhoni doesn't find a place in the team. What has he done for the team in the last one year? The selection committee does not have guts to remove Dhoni."
Dispelling notions that he was bitter about the manner of his removal from the selection panel, Amarnath said, "I am not against Dhoni. It is not that I do not like him. But we should look at it from a broader perspective. It is important to look at current performance of players rather than past performances."
Amarnath, who used to represent North Zone in the selection panel, was rumoured to have had a tiff with the board over Dhoni's continuation and also disagreed over the team picked for the ICC World T20 Championship in September.
"There is no harm in having different captains for different forms of the game. I am impressed with Virat Kohli in the shorter version of the game. Gautam Gambhir could be a replacement for Dhoni in Tests," he said.
Amarnath also said it was time for Sachin Tendulkar to take a call on his career. "Sachin is a great cricketer. He has been playing for many years. Now he cannot play the way he was playing earlier. The time comes for everybody," he said.
Amarnath was accompanied by his teammate of yesteryears and another selection committee chairman, Dilip Vengsarkar who echoed Amarnath's thoughts on Tendulkar.
"Sachin is a fantastic cricketer. He has contributed a lot for Indian cricket. However, he is now 39 years old. He will continue scoring runs, but not with the same speed. He will not dominate as he used to in the past," he said.
Amarnath felt the team needed an injection of young blood.
"When other players are not performing, the youngsters should get opportunity to perform. We have to give them time and opportunity to show their performance," he said.
Vengsarkar, on his part, said the replacements were not good enough.
"We are struggling with options at present. Some players are struggling with injuries. We do not have strong replacements for these players," he said, before adding, "The team members have to remove themselves from their comfort zone and perform well."
The former India captain did not rule out the return of Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh, who have been dropped from the squad for the fourth Test in the ongoing series against England.
"Next year, we will be playing against Pakistan and Australia. Harbhajan, Yuvraj and Zaheer are talented. They always have a chance to come back," he said.
Amarnath was also scathing on the IPL, saying, "IPL is not cricket. It is an entertainment. IPL is not going to help other formats of Indian cricket."
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