The team India management, Selection committee, coaches, and captain might be looking to try out rookie players thinking of 2019 World Cup. But former Indian opener Virender Sehwag is of the opinion MS Dhoni should be given assurance of his spot in the World Cup to help play freely.

For one of India’s greatest match-winners of all time, cricket lovers should pray that Dhoni remains as fit as he is currently rather than focus on his lean patch with the bat. Virender Sehwag strongly feels that the Indian team is “yet to find suitable replacement” for the iconic wicketkeeper-batsman.

“I don’t think anyone can replace Dhoni at this point of time. Rishabh Pant is good but he would also need time to replace him. But that can only happen after 2019. It’s then when we should think about Dhoni’s replacement. Till then let Pant gain experience,” Sehwag told.

Sehwag spoke about the present situation where veterans like Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina are sitting out, with youngsters being preferred considering the 2019 World Cup squad. “If the top-order fails, then either of these two (Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina), batting with Dhoni, could be very useful and The youngsters need a lot of time to gain experience,” the former India opener said.

“We should not worry about whether Dhoni is scoring runs or not. We should only pray that MS Dhoni is fit till 2019 World Cup. The experience that he has in the middle and the lower middle order, no one has that,” said Sehwag, who is a part of Star Sports panel for the upcoming limited overs series against Australia. For Sehwag, Dhoni’s entire career is a definition of ‘cycle of life’.

While there may be questions on how to give the younger players exposure, Viru is of the opinion that India A tours would be the ideal platform for that. “India ‘A’ tours have become more important. Selectors and the Indian team get feedback on players doing well in overseas conditions. Then they can take them for away tours,” he added.

“I would never want a guy, who is not a natural ‘keeper. It’s not keeping 20 overs in Indian Premier League. During a 50-over match, one missed stumping or missed catch can change the course of the match. It’s not a risk worth taking,” said Sehwag.

“The middle-order that would play in the World Cup along with the bowlers should be given enough opportunities, so by the time of World Cup, they should have played close to 100 ODIs each. They should be ready to handle each and every challenging situation thrown at them,” he said.

“Experience always enables you to handle pressure better. They can then win you matches in crunch situations. If they are not given that many chances, they could be the weak link. Next 3-6 months, I hope that the core is set.”

It clearly seems like Sehwag isn’t the most pleased person with the Indian cricket team’s current ‘testing’ and ‘resting’ phase and rather wants the skipper Virat Kohli to stick to his best playing XIs.