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Dhoni has not played for India since the 2019 World Cup semi-final loss to New Zealand. He recently was not included in the BCCI central contract list for October 2019-September 2020 period
 "India have found Dhoni's replacement in Manish Pandey: Shoaib Akhtar")
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar believes India have found a suitable MS Dhoni replacement in Manish Pandey inthe limited-overs cricket.
"'Hindustan ko akhir Dhoni ka replacement mil gya," Akhtar said on his YouTube channel after India's emphatic comeback victory over Australia in three-match ODI series.
"India has finally got Dhoni's replacement. They have found a good fit in Manish Pandey. Shreyas Iyer too looks a complete player and these add depth to India's batting," he said.
Dhoni has not played for India since the 2019 World Cup semi-final loss to New Zealand. He recently was not included in the BCCI central contract list for October 2019-September 2020 period.
"These players have played a lot in the IPL, they know how to handle pressure, they do not care about big names and hence, end up playing important innings," Akhtar said about Iyer and Pandey.
Pandey couldn't contribute much with the bat in the three ODIs as the top-order comprising of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan, got the job done for India in the last two matches after the Men in Blue faced a drubbing in Mumbai.
However, he grabbed the limelight for his spectacular fielding skills in the series. In the Rajkot ODI, Pandey took a stunning one-handed catch to dismiss David Warner.
India have now left for New Zealand where both the teams will be contesting in five T20Is, three ODIs and two Test matches.
India tour of New Zealand 2020 full schedule
| T20 International Series | |||
| Date and Day | Match | venue | Time (IST) |
| Jan 24, Friday | 1st T20 | Eden Park, Auckland | 12:30 PM |
| Jan 26, Sunday | 2nd T20 | Eden Park, Auckland | 12:30 PM |
| Jan 29, Wednesday | 3rd T20 | Seddon Park, Hamilton | 12:30 PM |
| Jan 31, Friday | 4th T20 | Westpac Stadium, Wellington | 12:30 PM |
| Feb 02, Sunday | 5th T20 | Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui | 12:30 PM |
| One Day International Series | |||
| Date and Day | Match | venue | Time (IST) |
| Feb 05, Wednesday | 1st ODI | Seddon Park, Hamilton | 7:30 AM |
| Feb 08, Saturday | 2nd ODI | Eden Park, Auckland | 7:30 AM |
| Feb 11, Tuesday | 3rd ODI | Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui | 7:30 AM |
| Test Series | |||
| Date and Day | Match | venue | Time (IST) |
| Feb 21, Fri - Feb 25, Tue | 1st Test | Basin Reserve, Wellington | 4:00 AM |
| Feb 29, Sat - Mar 04, Wed | 2nd Test | Hagley Oval, Christchurch | 4:00 AM |
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First Published: Jan 21 2020 | 12:03 PM IST
