Selectors looking ahead of MS Dhoni for the future

MS Dhoni hasn’t had a stint in the middle after the heart-breaking run-out in the World Cup semi-final versus New Zealand in Manchester. Following the mega event, speculations regarding him retiring from the game did the rounds. However, Dhoni hasn’t let anyone know about his future plans. The veteran took a two-month break from cricket and served the Indian Army in Kashmir.

Recently, it was communicated to Dhoni that he won’t be India’s number-one keeper going forward. Rather Rishabh Pant would be preferred in the future. The Indian selectors are now looking for life ahead of the veteran as they are not sure about Dhoni’s plans. A source talked about the time when Dhoni’s Test retirement back in 2014 in Melbourne left everyone bewildered.

Selectors looking at the future

“Dhoni is not going to let anyone know of his plans. Even his teammates didn’t get a hint once he decided to retire after the third Test in Melbourne in 2014. He always prefers to play the game on his own terms,” a source was quoted as saying to The Telegraph.

The selectors have decided not to consider Dhoni for the home T20I series versus South Africa, which is set to get underway on September 15. The squad for the fixtures is most likely to be picked soon. India will also be playing T20Is versus Bangladesh and the Windies.

One thing is becoming pretty certain that MS Dhoni isn’t in the plans of the selectors, at least in T20 cricket. He wasn’t up to the mark in the World Cup owing to which he was a recipient of severe criticism. The Jharkhand-born was last seen in Jaipur last week after his stint with the Indian Army.

As far as the keeping aspect is concerned, Pant has been persisted with despite his inconsistent shows at the highest level. He got an unbeaten 65 in the final T20I in the Caribbean Islands. In the ODI series, the southpaw was lacklustre, having scored only 20 runs in the two innings.

Chairman of selectors MSK Prasad has spoken highly of KS Bharat. Ishan Kishan, who’s a part of India A for the One Day series against South Africa A, and Sanju Samson, are also in contention. Samson’s keeping is considered below average though.

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