MS Dhoni has the right to decide when to retire: Ravi Shastri

New Delhi: Indian cricket team's director Ravi Shastri has backed limited-overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, saying that he deserves to decide when to retire from international cricket.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, when asked whether ICC World Twenty20 was the perfect platform for Dhoni to retire, Shastri said, "Never fool around with champions. When someone has done it so well for so long, they have a right to decide. You saw how he left Test cricket, when no one expected. So what makes you think he will hang on for the sake of it? If he believes he is good, he will stay, if he believes his time is up, he will go, that much I can assure you of MS Dhoni."

Shastri also backed Dhoni's poor run with the bat in the last few months saying that batting at No. 6 was not easy and Dhoni should be respected for the fact that he has done so brilliantly throughout his career.

"People forget it is (No 6) one of the toughest positions to bat. India should feel lucky they have had someone doing that job for so many years and like a champion. That’s why when he gets the flak, I get really annoyed because he deserves respect for what he has contributed to Indian cricket. Don’t mess around with legends and champions," Shastri said.

Even though India have won two back-to-back T20I series under Dhoni's captaincy, his form with the bat hasn't been great as he has scored just 36 runs in the last six T20Is.