MS Dhoni's past achievements have gone, he can't play till he wants: Gautam Gambhir

New Delhi: Despite his heroics in the past, leading Team India to various honours at the international level, former India captain MS Dhoni remains at a corridor of uncertainty as he nears his age. With stiff competition being provided by newcomers, the pressure mounts on the 36-year-old to prove his abilities despite age against his side.

Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir who himself has lost his Test opening slot to youngsters such as Abhinav Mukund and KL Rahul feels that Dhoni should fight for his place if he wants to play in the 2019 World Cup.

"The only way he can survive till 2019 World Cup is by keep on performing. That should be the criteria for everyone, irrespective of whether he is Dhoni or someone else," the Delhi cricketer was quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

The southpaw even stated that performances in the past should not be taken into account during selection, hinting that Dhoni’s previous achievements should not be considered for major tournaments in the future.

"Okay, you have done something in the past but that's passed. You can keep playing till you want to. At the same time I believe someone like Dinesh Karthik has been a massive loss for us because whenever he got an opportunity, he did well. He could have been your backup wicket-keeping option as well, " Gambhir added.

The Indian batsman previously took a dig at Dhoni with an audacious post on Twitter, just before the release of his biopic - MS Dhoni: The Untold Story.

Gambhir last played for Virat Kohli’s side in 2016 as a Test opener during England’s tour of India. Since then, Gambhir has found it hard to break into the Indian team that has seen him focus more on domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League(IPL).