Between 2004 and now we have not had too many first choice keepers. In fact, many who made it to the team came as backup or replacements. Why? Well, the answer to that question is MS Dhoni. The man burst on the scene, proved to be a great keeper and excellent finisher, and then, wait for it, was made skipper.
From 2007 to 2016,?Dhoni was in charge of the Indian team. He quit Tests in 2014 and finally in 2017 handed over the reins to Virat Kohli. Only when he left Test cricket did Wriddhiman Saha find a regular place in the side. As far as ODIs and T20Is go, well the likes of Dinesh Karthik, Parthiv Patel and later on Rishabh Pant only came into the mix when he was injured or rested from a game.?
The end result was that there was no long-term first-choice keeper for over a decade. Even when?Dhoni?was on a break, they first tried Pant and shifted to KL Rahul. Sanju Samson also had a go but it did not work out.?
Why did this happen? Well, when the keeper happens to be the keeper one cannot drop him out of the blue. So backup keepers would not be the first choice. Dhoni never played as a specialist batsman and always donned the gloves in a game.?
The effects are being felt now as we are still trying to fill the void. Rahul seems to have settled into the groove and that is good news for Team India.?
When Captain Cool did call it a day, it was the end of an era.